CABINET OFFICE

Cancer

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the mortality rate from cancer has been in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the North West in each of the last 15 years;
	(2)  how many men in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire died from advanced prostate cancer in 2012.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated June 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office:
	1. How many men in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire died from advanced prostate cancer in 2012 (199653)
	2. What the mortality rate from cancer has been in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the North West in each of the last 15 years (199660)
	The most recent figures available are for 2012. Table 1 provides the number of deaths where prostate cancer was the underlying cause of death for males in 1(a) Pendle parliamentary constituency and 1(b) Lancashire county, for deaths registered in 2012.
	Table 2 provides the age-standardised mortality rate where cancer was the underlying cause of death for 2(a) Pendle parliamentary constituency, 2(b) East Lancashire clinical commissioning group and 2(c) the North West region from 1998 to 2012, where available. Rates are not presented for Pendle before 2001 and for East Lancashire before 2002 because the corresponding population estimates are not available.
	The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and underlying cause, are published annually on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths where the underlying cause was prostate cancer, males in Pendle parliamentary constituency and Lancashire county, deaths registered in 20121,2,3 
			 Area of usual residence 2012 
			 Pendle 14 
			 Lancashire 203 
			 1 Underlying cause of death was defined using the international Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C61 (Malignant neoplasm of prostate). It has been assumed that where prostate cancer was judged to be the underlying cause of death, it can be considered ‘advanced'. 2 Figures are based on boundaries correct as at May 2014 and exclude non-residents. 3 Figures are based on deaths registered rather than deaths occurring in a calendar year. Further information on registration delays for a range of causes including prostate cancer can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Age-standardised mortality rates where cancer was the underlying cause of death, Pendle parliamentary constituency, East Lancashire clinical commissioning group and North West region, deaths registered each year from 1998 to 20121,2,3,4,5 
			 Rates per 100,000 (Population) 
			 Registration year Pendle East Lancashire North West 
			 1998 n/a n/a 209.5 
			 1999 n/a n/a 210.3 
			 2000 n/a n/a 205.4 
			 2001 196.7 n/a 207.3 
			 2002 178.7 200.4 204.8 
			 2003 172.0 189.0 197.1 
			 2004 176.0 186.3 195.4 
			 2005 177.9 178.5 197.3 
			 2006 186.2 173.7 191.6 
			 2007 177.6 179.7 190.8 
			 2008 178.9 180.8 188.4 
			 2009 178.1 195.6 184.1 
			 2010 159.9 182.6 185.5 
			 2011 179.2 182.7 180.6 
			 2012 160.8 176.6 178.1 
			 n/a = Not available. 1 Age-standardised rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the 1976 European Standard Population (ESP). Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. For more information on ESP, see the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/revised-european-standard-population-2013--2013-esp-/index.html 2 Underlying cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00 to C97 for the period 2001 to 2012, and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 140 to 208 for the period 1998 to 2000 3 Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in the years 1998 to 2012. Further information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html 4 Figures exclude deaths of non-residents 5 Figures are based on boundaries as of May 2014.

Civil Servants: Absenteeism

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many days of employee absence there were in each Government Department in each of the last 10 years.

Francis Maude: It is for individual Departments to provide detailed information on absence for each of the last 10 years.
	This Government are working to reduce civil service absence levels and we know that the average days lost per employee has fallen from 8.7 in June 2010 to 7.4 in December 2013. Average working days lost per staff year are now at their lowest reported figure since 1999, while the total number of days lost in the civil service is at its lowest recorded level.
	The figures for the Cabinet Office are:
	
		
			  Days 
			 December 2003 3.5 
			 December 2004 3.0 
			 December 2005 4.2 
		
	
	
		
			 2005-06 4.1 
			 2006-07 3.3 
			 2007-08 4.8 
			 2008-09 4.8 
			 2009-10 3.6 
			 2010-11 4.0 
			 2011-12 3.7 
			 2012-13 2.7 
			 Year to December 2013 2.5 
		
	
	and can be found online here at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-absence-data

Government Departments: Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many publications by Government departments have included the term long-term economic plan in the last 12 months; and how much those publications have cost;
	(2)  if he will publish any advice from the Permanent Secretary of Government Communications to political parties on the use of specific terms issued in the last 12 months.

Francis Maude: Public Government documents are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications
	Information on costs is not held centrally.
	All Government communications officials are bound by the Civil Service code. There is no longer a Permanent Secretary of Government Communications.

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what mechanisms are in place to allow an investigation into an allegation that an individual Minister may have breached the Ministerial Code of Conduct during their time in office when that Minister is no longer a serving Minister; who is responsible for initiating such an investigation; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Ministerial Code sets out the process for investigating alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code.

Ovarian Cancer: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of women in Pendle constituency were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated June 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of women in Pendle constituency were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in each of the last five years [199659].
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2011. Table 1 provides the number of (a) newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer, and (b) the proportion (as a crude cancer incidence rate) of newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer amongst females in Pendle parliamentary constituency, for the years 2007 to 2011.
	Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number and proportion of women in Pendle parliamentary constituency diagnosed with ovarian cancer, as it is possible that one woman could be diagnosed with more than one case of primary ovarian cancer.
	The latest published figures on cancer incidence for England are available in the following link:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/cancer-statistics-registrations--england--series-mb1-/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer and crude incidence rate of ovarian cancer among females in Pendle parliamentary constituency, 2007 to 20111, 2, 3, 4, 5 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Number of new cases in Pendle 7 13 11 4 8 
			 Crude5 rate per 100,000 females in Pendle *15.5 *28.7 *24.2 *8.8 *17.6 
			 1 Cancer of the ovary is coded as C56 (Malignant neoplasm of ovary), according to the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). 2 Cancer incidence figures are based on newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. 3 Figures are based on boundaries correct as at May 2014 and exclude non-residents. 4 Incidence rates are calculated using mid-year population estimates for Pendle parliamentary constituency. 5 Due to low counts, directly age-standardised rates have not been calculated. Instead, a crude rate has been calculated by dividing the number of new diagnoses in Pendle by the female population in Pendle for each year. Note: Rates calculated from fewer than 20 counts are marked by * to denote low reliability. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Public Sector: Complaints

Robert Buckland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the ease of use for the public of the complaints systems across public services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of levels of public confidence in complaints systems across public services;
	(3)  how many complaints were received by each ombudsman service in England in each of the last five years;
	(4)  if he will assess the potential merits of introducing an automatic trigger for inspections of individual public services when a certain number of people using that service have made complaints about it;
	(5)  if he will assess the potential merits of allowing designated bodies to be given the power to make super-complaints against public service providers such as those that exist in private markets;
	(6)  what assessment he has made of the benefits of future mergers of public service ombudsman services in England.

Francis Maude: The Government are considering recent reports of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this, the Cabinet Office is working to investigate further how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the Public Sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to the PASC in due course. I am happy to discuss this matter further with my hon. Friend.
	The annual reports and accounts of the public service ombudsmen in the UK provide details of their performance over the past 12 months including information about complaints received.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biodiversity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much (a) his Department and (b) the Joint Nature Conservation Committee spent on biodiversity research in (i) the UK and (ii) the Overseas Territories in each of the last four years.
	(2)  how much his Department spent on biodiversity conservation in (a) the UK and (b) the Overseas Territories in 2013-14.

Dan Rogerson: We are collating the information requested and will place it in the House Library as soon as possible.

Floods: Insurance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria will be used to determine whether a property owner is eligible to access building insurance policies within Flood Re.

Dan Rogerson: The criteria that the insurance industry will use to determine if a property is eligible for cover through Flood Re were set out in the information note published in March. It can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/292353/water-bill-flood-insurance-scope-flood-re.pdf

Floods: Insurance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of research carried out by the British Insurance Brokers Association into the difficulties that groups excluded from accessing buildings insurance within Flood Re are experiencing in accessing affordable flood insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: The survey by the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) has been considered with interest.
	DEFRA has commissioned its own research to monitor the market for flood insurance. This will include the market for domestic insurance, for which Flood Re has been designed, and the market for commercial flood insurance, for which Flood Re was not designed.
	I am planning to discuss this issue of commercial flood insurance with BIBA and representative organisations from the property sector at a round table meeting later this month.

Sewers: Urban Areas

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government expect to implement all the measures contained in Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act regarding sustainable urban drainage systems in this Parliament.

Dan Rogerson: The Government remain committed to implementing sustainable drainage systems at the earliest available opportunity, but not in a way that affects development. A statement, which will set out our plans in greater detail, will be made in the summer. It has become clear that, as previously hoped for, we will not be commencing schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act in October 2014.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Welfare Reform

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government’s welfare reform policies in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Robathan: We have worked hard with the Executive to adapt our reforms flexibly to Northern Ireland circumstances. They will ensure work always pays and help lift people out of poverty by moving them into work. When fully implemented, universal credit will make over 3 million low to middle income households across the UK better off.

Marching Season

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she has taken to ensure that the Police Service of Northern Ireland has adequate resources to ensure a peaceful marching season.

Theresa Villiers: The issue of police resources is primarily a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. However, I have regular discussions with the Chief Constable and David Ford concerning police resources.
	The additional £231 million funding provided to the PSNI by the Government for national security matters releases resources to assist with the policing of matters such as parading and public order.

Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to reappoint the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: In May, I reappointed William Smith to the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland for a further five year term. There is currently one remaining vacancy in the position of member and I plan to launch a competition to fill this position in the autumn. This will ensure that the Commission will have its full complement of members well in advance of when preparations need to commence for the next review of parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland, which is likely to be around late 2015.

Freedom of Information

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many freedom of information requests to her Department remain unanswered after (a) 20 and (b) 90 days on 1 April 2014; and which freedom of information requests to her Department on what subjects remain unanswered.

Theresa Villiers: At 1 April 2014, there was one request remaining unanswered after 20 days and one request remaining unanswered after 90 days. The subject matters associated with these unanswered requests relate to the arm shipments in the 1970s and 1980s from Libya to Ireland, and matters relating to a High Court injunction concerning the release of inquest papers by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Rural Areas

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to monitor the delivery of the Mobile Infrastructure Project and to bring adequate mobile telephone coverage to people living in remote and rural areas.

Edward Vaizey: I hold regular meetings with supplier Arqiva to discuss the Mobile Infrastructure Project and officials in BDUK are in regular contact with Arqiva to monitor and assess progress.

Cathedrals: Repairs and Maintenance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which cathedrals will receive funding from the new grant scheme for cathedral repairs announced in Budget 2014.

Edward Vaizey: The First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund is open to all Anglican and Catholic cathedrals in England. Applications for the first round will be considered by the expert panel later this month.

Direct Selling: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints of (a) unsolicited marketing calls and (b) silent or abandoned calls were made by people in Pendle in each of the last five years.

Edward Vaizey: The data recording these figures are not broken down by individual constituencies.

Embassies: Iran

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will provide a detailed itemised inventory of what works of art from Government collections were on loan to the British Embassy and Residence in Tehran at the time of the riots in November 2011; and what claims for compensation for loss, damage or destruction have been made by the Government to insurers in respect of those items.

Edward Vaizey: The following Government Art Collection (GAC) works of art were on display in Tehran when the British embassy was attacked in November 2011:
	0/664 George Hayter—Queen Victoria (1819-1901) Reigned 1837-1901—oil painting;
	5230 Ahmad—Fath 'Ali Shah (1797-1834) 2nd Qajar Shah of Iran—oil painting;
	0/663 Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (after)—King Edward VII (1841-1910) Reigned 1901-10—oil painting;
	17351 Adrian Berg—Gloucester Gate, Regent's Park, June—oil painting;
	13319 Cedric Morris—Tulips and Iris—oil painting; and
	0/661 Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (after)—King George V (1865-1936) Reigned 1910-36—oil painting.
	The GAC does not—and is not permitted under Government accounting regulations—to insure its own works on a commercial basis. They are Crown Property and displayed at the Government’s own risk within HMG buildings.

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the Flood Relief Fund for Sport announced to restore damaged pitches, sport centres and facilities has been (a) allocated to local authorities and (b) received by sports facilities to date.

Helen Grant: Sport England's Flood Relief Fund has made a total of 225 awards to date, totalling £515,542, of which:
	(a) Three awards totalling £6,560 have been made to local authorities; and
	(b) 222 awards totalling £508,982 have been made to sports clubs.
	The fund will remain open for applications until autumn.

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the Tourism Industry Fund for businesses in flood-affected parts of England has been (a) allocated to local authorities and (b) received by businesses to date.

Helen Grant: The Government's tourism package on flood support was not grant based but, alongside a marketing programme, was funded business support offered via local workshops and drop in clinics to tourism and tourism related businesses. These sessions were organised locally by Destination Organisations on behalf of VisitEngland. They were accessed by over 700 businesses. Money was only allocated to local authorities where they were the accountable body for the Destination Organisations. This totalled £83,798 but not all Destination Organisations have local authorities as their accountable body.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

Helen Grant: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is measuring National Wellbeing, not as an index but through a framework of 41 indicators which capture social progress around important aspects of life for individuals, communities and the nation. The statistics are experimental and as such we should not expect to have examples of major policies that have been heavily influenced by the well-being data at this stage.
	Since the introduction of the ONS framework for measuring National Wellbeing in 2011, DCMS has worked closely with the ONS to introduce sport and culture participation measures within ONS’ national well-being headline measures for adults (May 2013). In January this year, measures of sport and culture were also included within ONS’ initial national child well-being measures. DCMS’ National Statistic ‘Taking Part’, on culture and sport engagement, has measured subjective well-being since 2005-06. In 2012 ONS’ subjective well-being questions were also added to support further analysis of well-being impacts.
	Our policies of ‘Getting more people playing sport’ and ‘Supporting vibrant and sustainable arts and culture’ are directly linked to ONS’ national well-being measurement. DCMS continues to work to better understand and consider the impact of its sectors and policy on people’s well-being across a number of the domains in ONS’ national well-being measures including health, education, crime and unemployment. For example, in our recently released reports on ‘Quantifying the Social Impacts of Culture and Sport1, and ‘Quantifying and Valuing the Wellbeing Impacts of Culture and Sport2.
	1Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quantifying-the-social-impacts-of-sport-and-culture
	2Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quantifying-and-valuing-the-wellbeing-impacts-of-culture-and-sport

Internet

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on allowing internet service providers to restructure charging arrangements for faster network access.

Edward Vaizey: The Government support an open internet, and believe that self-regulation is the best approach to achieve this. We expect ISPs to be transparent with their customers regarding their terms and conditions at the point of sale, including any traffic management practices, in order to allow consumers to make an informed choice and consider any alternative providers.

Libraries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 1 May 2014, Official Report, columns 809-10W, on Arts Council England, how much the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council spent on libraries in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Edward Vaizey: The Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council indicates that the grant in aid grants payable for specific library activities for the financial years requested is as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Activity Grant payable (£) 
			 2009/10 Future Libraries—£38,000 67,000 
			  Get it Loud Libraries—£24,000  
			  National Library Membership—£5,000  
			    
			 2010/11 Future Libraries 338,000 
			    
			 2011/12 London Library Change Programme 149,000

Television: Licensing

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in Warrington North constituency are currently in receipt of a free television licence.

Edward Vaizey: The data recording how many individuals are currently in receipt of a free television licence are not broken down by individual constituencies or regions.

Tourism

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to work with counterparts in other EU member states to encourage tourism to the UK from Europe.

Helen Grant: VisitEngland works closely with a network of national tourism organisations through the National Tourism Board Forum. Members include:
	Ireland;
	Germany;
	Switzerland;
	France;
	Malta;
	Denmark;
	Austria;
	Montenegro; and
	Belgium.
	Activities of the forum include: regular meetings, sharing insights and best practice and marketing development.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations his Department has received from UNESCO on the proposed Navitus Bay Wind Farm development.

Edward Vaizey: UNESCO has submitted representations from its Advisory Body the IUCN about the proposed Navitus Bay Wind Farm development. The development is being considered by the planning authorities and these views have been submitted as part of this process.

SCOTLAND

Social Rented Housing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many tenants in Scotland arranged mutually exchanges to elsewhere in the UK through HomeSwap Direct in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

David Mundell: Details of the number of moves that have taken place under the HomeSwap Direct Scheme from Scotland to elsewhere in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years are not held centrally. This information is more likely to be held by social housing providers.

Sovereignty

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the (a) scope, (b) date and (c) cost of contracts for public relations services commissioned by his Department from (i) Engine Partners and (ii) other public affairs and public relations consultancies since May 2011.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not entered into any contracts for public relations services with (i) Engine Partners and (ii) other public affairs and public relations consultancies since May 2011.

Sovereignty

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent steps the Government have taken to persuade the Scottish people that they would have a better future within the UK.

David Mundell: In order to inform and support the debate on Scotland’s future, the UK Government have undertaken a detailed programme of analysis on the contribution that Scotland makes to the UK and benefits Scotland gets from being part of the United Kingdom. The Scotland analysis programme has published 14 papers on economic, domestic and international issues. The series is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scotland-analysis
	The Government are also publishing a range of easily accessible factsheets and booklets which are being widely disseminated to stakeholders in Scotland. These are available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scottish-independence-referendum-factsheets
	and
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scottish-independence-referendum-scotland-in-the-uk
	Government Ministers are also participating in a wide range of meetings, visits and events with communities right across Scotland.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Attorney-General for how many acts of violence in prisons the Crown Prosecution Service decided to (a) bring or (b) not bring a prosecution for each type of offence in each of the last four years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of cases where the CPS has been asked to make a charging decision and the decision made, either to charge or to take no further action. No record is held as to where an alleged offence was said to have taken place. To obtain details of alleged acts of violence in prisons referred to the CPS for a charging decision would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equality

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities if he will make it his policy that the Government adopt when designing domestic policy the same gender equality provisions as contained in the International (Gender Equality) Act 2014 for development assistance provision.

Helen Grant: Public bodies in England, Scotland and Wales are subject to s149 of the Equality Act 2010 (Public Sector Equality Duty), which requires them to have due regard to the need to advance equality of opportunity between different groups, for example between men and women in carrying out their functions including policy development.

DEFENCE

Air Force: Military Bases

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what current RAF airfields have (a) standard airfield concrete runways and (b) asphaltic concrete runways.

Philip Dunne: There are no RAF airfields that have a concrete only runway.
	The following RAF airfields have a asphaltic/concrete runway:
	RAF Benson (Joint Helicopter Command Base)
	RAF College Cranwell
	RAF Coningsby
	RAF Leeming
	RAF Leuchars
	RAF Lossiemouth
	RAF Marham
	RAF Odiham (Joint Helicopter Command Base)
	RAF Scampton
	RAF Shawbury
	RAF Waddington
	RAF Valley

Fuels: Gosport

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 610W, on fuels: Gosport, when he expects the work to establish the preferred options and costs of replacement for the fuel tanks at the oil fuel depot in Gosport to be complete.

Philip Dunne: Work on the preferred options and costs of replacement for the fuel tanks at the oil fuel depot in Gosport is continuing and is expected to be completed by the end of the 2014.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many high-temperature concrete vertical landing pads will be constructed to accommodate the Joint Strike Fighter; where they will be located; and what estimate he has made of their cost.

Philip Dunne: On current plans there will be three high-temperature concrete vertical landing pads constructed to accommodate the Joint Strike Fighter. These landing pads will be located at RAF Marham and the estimated cost is in the region of £7.5 million. This figure will be refined once planning for this matter progresses.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the unit production cost of the Joint Strike Fighter.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence routinely monitors the unit production cost for the Joint Strike Fighter as part of its normal procurement activity. The Department does not publish cost estimates as to do so would undermine its commercial position.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the major factors that could change the unit production cost of the Joint Strike Fighter.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has a comprehensive understanding of all major factors that effect unit production cost. These are constantly managed as part of our procurement and risk management process.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total amount is of the financial risk provision within the Joint Strike Fighter programme budget.

Philip Dunne: The financial risk provision within the UK Joint Strike Fighter Programme has been calculated in line with Ministry of Defence policy. The Department does not publish its financial risk provision as to do so could undermine its commercial position.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Joint Strike Fighter B procured by the RAF will have Block 3i software.

Philip Dunne: All UK F-35Bs delivered prior to the end of 2017 will be upgraded to, or delivered with, Block 3i software.

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on a Tornado Collision Warning System since 1991.

Philip Dunne: Total spend from 1999 to 31 March 2014, including the concept, assessment and development, manufacture and In-service phase, is some £49.7 million.
	It is not possible to confirm the total spend on a Tornado collision warning system prior to 1999; expenditure records are no longer held centrally and the retrieval of available information would be possible only at disproportionate cost.

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the progress on the trial installation and testing of the Tornado Collision Warning System at BAE Systems, Warton.

Philip Dunne: Progress continues to be made with the trial installation and testing of a Collision Warning System (CWS) for Tornado GR4. Installation of CWS on two aircraft is complete and testing is ongoing. The Ministry of Defence is working closely with BAE Systems to ensure delivery of a capability as soon as practicable.

EDUCATION

Children: Databases

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the answer of 12 May 2014, Official Report, columns 366-7W, on children: databases, what his Department's policy is on sharing information in respect of vulnerable children and children at risk.

Edward Timpson: The statutory guidance, “Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2013”, is very clear that the effective sharing of information between professionals and local agencies is essential for accurate identification, assessment and provision of services for vulnerable children. The Department for Education's policy is clear that fears about sharing information cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote the welfare and protect the safety of children.

Disabled Students’ Allowances

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the proposed changes to Disabled Students' Allowance and their effect on young people with special educational needs or a disability.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have worked closely together, throughout the passage of the Children and Families Act 2014, on the implications for young people with special education needs and disabilities regarding their transition to Higher Education. As a result of these discussions, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice were strengthened to support a better transition to Higher Education. There continues to be close liaison between the two Departments about broader policies that affect young people with special educational needs and disability.

Newspaper Press: Retail Trade

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's policy is on the easy visibility and access for children to overly sexualised and graphic magazines and periodicals in retail stores.

Edward Timpson: In December 2010 the Government commissioned Reg Bailey, the chief executive of Mothers' Union, to carry out a review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. He published his report, ‘Letting Children be Children’, in June 2011. The Government welcomed Mr Bailey's analysis and the thrust of all the recommendations he made, including that newspapers and magazines with sexualised images on their covers should not be displayed in easy sight of children. We welcome the action taken by publishers, distributors and retailers to promote the observance of the industry code of practice on the display of these magazines.

Schools: Staff

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department gives local authorities on the suspension of school staff.

David Laws: The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009 require local authority-maintained schools to establish procedures to regulate the conduct and discipline of staff, including the suspension of staff. This requirement is set out in the Department's guidance on Managing Staff Employment in Schools. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) also provides detailed advice for all employers including self-governing schools and local authorities on the suspension of school staff.

Sexualisation of Young People Review

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the review Sexualisation of Young People by Dr. Linda Papadopoulos.

Edward Timpson: In December 2010 the Government commissioned Reg Bailey, the chief executive of Mothers' Union, to carry out a review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. Mr Bailey drew upon the review by Dr Papadopoulos and its evidence base in making his recommendations in his report, ‘Letting Children be Children', published in June 2011. The Government welcomed Mr Bailey's analysis and the thrust of all the recommendations he made, and there has been progress on many of these.

Special Educational Needs

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the written statement by the Minister for Universities and Science of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on Higher Education: student support, what revisions he plans to make to the draft statutory guidance, Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years.

Edward Timpson: There has been close liaison between the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills throughout the passage of the Children and Families Act 2014. As a result, no changes will need to be made to the draft statutory guidance, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years.

Swimming: Children

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to improve access to swimming lessons for schoolchildren.

Edward Timpson: Swimming is part of the national curriculum, and all pupils must be taught to swim at least 25 metres unaided and be able to use recognised swimming strokes by the end of key stage 2 (age 11). It remains compulsory in the national curriculum following the curriculum review.
	The Government have committed over £450 million of ring-fenced funding up to and including 2015/16 for primary schools to improve their provision of physical education and sport. Schools have the freedom to use the funding for additional provision for swimming but this must be for activity over and above the national curriculum requirements.
	The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) is the national governing body for swimming in England. Their ‘Learn to Swim’ programme and award scheme has helped millions of children to swim and they provide a range of resources for schools to support high quality swimming instruction.

Teachers: Bolton

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) headteachers, (b) deputy headteachers and (c) teachers in Bolton Local Education Authority took early retirement on the grounds of ill-health in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

David Laws: Between April 2010 and March 2013 there were seven teachers who retired on ill-health grounds from publicly-funded schools in Bolton local authority.
	Given the very small number of people involved, the statistics provided have not included a grade or year split to avoid disclosing data on specific individuals.

Teachers: Training

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will allow universities offering Initial Teacher Training programmes to apply for additional places when they fill their annual allocation.

David Laws: On 5 June 2014 the National College for Teaching and Leadership announced that a limited number of additional postgraduate places in certain subjects have been made available to higher education institutions (HEIs). Places will be allocated only to the HEIs that have already filled their courses or are close to doing so and have extra candidates looking to train with them.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Advertising

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will establish an ombudsman to cover complaints on the use of overly sexualised content on images and displays on high streets and other business advertisements easily visible to the public which are not covered by the Advertising Standards Association or police and crime commissioners.

Nicholas Boles: The responsibility for controlling the content of advertisements lies with the Advertising Standards Association, and therefore, the establishment of an ombudsman would simply duplicate this role.
	The control of advertisements within the planning regime is carried out on the grounds of amenity and public safety as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England Regulations) 2007, as amended. It is up to the local planning authority to decide whether the image poses a threat to either of these and what to do as a result.
	The local planning authority can serve a discontinuance notice where it is satisfied that an advertisement is having a significant effect on the amenity of a locality, or is a danger to members of the public. If people think the local planning authority has failed to act when they should have done, they can ask the Local Government Ombudsman to investigate their concerns.

Bellwin Scheme

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, columns 527-8W, on the Bellwin scheme, how much has been (a) allocated to and (b) received by each of the authorities which have registered for funding under the Bellwin scheme.

Brandon Lewis: Bellwin provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help them meet uninsurable costs they incur when responding to a major emergency in their area. The level of funding over time is causally linked to the scale of flooding or other emergency. As was the case under previous and current Administrations, it operates by local authorities retrospectively claiming spending back.
	As at 9 June, 110 local authorities have registered for the December 2013 to February 2014 severe weather events. They now have until 30 June 2014 to submit their formal claims. However, only 20 local authorities have submitted formal claims so far.
	A table deposited in the Library lists the reimbursement payments that have been made to date. In the remaining cases, the claims have literally just been received or we are waiting for the local authorities to provide supporting information. All valid claims will be paid quickly.

Fire Services: Pensions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the costed potential changes to firefighter pensions.

Brandon Lewis: Earlier this year I met with the Union leadership and agreed to their request for the Government Actuary’s Department to cost alternative pension scheme designs for them. E-mails received from the Union’s consulting actuary set out a range of alternative scheme designs to be costed on behalf of the Union. Each of these alternative scheme designs concerned variations on the early retirement factors for firefighters who retired before age 60. In each instance the Department provided the letters from the Government Actuary’s Department to the Union at the earliest possible point in time. No other proposals were costed by the Government Actuary’s Department and the Union did not request the preparation of any other costings.
	These costings were conducted during a period of constructive discussion and the Union leadership knew we were considering these proposals. I had been clear that it was only possible to consider such proposals during a period when strike action was in abeyance. Rather than continue and finalise that constructive process the Union leadership chose to call a halt to them prematurely by announcing further unnecessary strike action.
	The Fire Brigades Union has launched a correspondence campaign to release this information, which is odd given that it is information that they already hold. To provide transparency over the process, I am publishing copies of the relevant papers on the firefighter pensions webpage at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms
	and will place copies in the Library of the House.

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the Severe Weather Recovery Scheme awarded to local authorities for costs incurred during the recent floods has been (a) allocated to and (b) received by local authorities to date.

Brandon Lewis: £73.5 million has been allocated to, and received by, local authorities for costs incurred during the recent floods under the first phase of the Severe Weather Recovery Scheme. The closing date for the second tranche of the funding was 6 June.

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the Government's Council Tax Relief Fund for people whose homes have been flooded has been (a) allocated to local authorities and (b) received by residents to date.

Brandon Lewis: As at 2 June 2014, 4,031 households were in receipt of a council tax discount from their local authority as a result of the impact of flooding. There are no set or advance allocations to councils. The fund works by councils retrospectively claiming back the cost of the council tax relief (in the same way, for example, as the Bellwin Scheme has always worked). Local authorities recently submitted the first round of claims for reimbursement. Subject to data checking, we expect reimbursement payments in the region of £1.8 million to be made shortly.
	Further information on the available flood support schemes is available on the gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-support-package-for-homeowners-and-businesses

Homelessness

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what change there was in the number of homelessness acceptances arising from the end of a private sector tenancy in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Kris Hopkins: To assist public scrutiny, a table showing homelessness acceptances due to loss of private sector tenancy, by local authority, in each year from 2003 to 2013 is available in the Library of the House,
	Data are not collected by parliamentary constituency.
	The dataset shows that under the last Administration, the average numbers were higher than under this Administration, especially when taking into account the changes in the overall size of the private rented sector.
	I would note that the rental sector policies of HM Opposition would make the problem worse, by reducing availability of private rented accommodation, forcing up rents and discouraging investment in the private rented sector. By contrast, this Government are increasing house building, delivering £19.5 billion of investment in affordable housing, supporting billions of private investment in new private rented accommodation, providing £470 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness, and avoiding the excessive regulation which would harm the interests of tenants.

Housing: Construction

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of homes in (a) Ebbsfleet and (b) other planned garden cities will be (i) wheelchair accessible and (ii) built to lifetime homes standards.

Nicholas Boles: It is important that all locally-led large scale new developments like Ebbsfleet incorporate a high standard of design, and I am keen to see the use of design tools like Building for Life 12 which can serve this objective. Responsibility for delivering on the local plans for Ebbsfleet will sit with the new Urban Development Corporation and it would be premature to make any commitments on design standards at this stage. Ultimately, the development should be created in partnership with local communities and it should reflect and respond to their needs.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price has been for houses sold under (a) the Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee and (b) the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Pendle.

Kris Hopkins: The information is as follows:
	(a) Data on the Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee scheme are published by the Treasury. Figures to 31 March 2014 are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014
	(b) For the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, figures for the average purchase price of properties are available at district council level, with the most recent official statistics relating to sales under the scheme to 30 April 2014.
	(i) As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 32WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by government office region.
	(ii) The average figure for that period across the twelve district council areas of Lancashire is £176,888. The figure for Lancashire can be compared with a national average of £205,424, as published at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics
	(iii) In Pendle, only one sale had been completed by 30 April 2014, and so quoting the average figure for that area would lead to disclosure of the purchase price of that property. This might be regarded as creating an unacceptably high risk of disclosing personal data and a statistical distortion.
	Figures for the numbers of sales under the Help to Buy equity loan scheme as at 30 April 2014 broken down by local authority and postcode sector are available at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics
	I have also placed a copy of the table in the Library of the House.

Translation Services

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of translation and interpreter services used by each borough and county council in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not centrally held.
	As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 5WS, we have given guidance to local authorities to stop translating into foreign languages, as it wastes taxpayers' money, undermines community cohesion, promotes segregation and discourages integration into British society.
	In that statement, it was noted that estimates had suggested that local authorities were previously spending nearly £20 million a year translating into foreign languages. This illustrates the scope for councils to make savings by stopping such translation, using the money instead to support frontline services and keep council tax down.

TREASURY

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority to publish their review on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking.

Andrea Leadsom: Budget 2014 detailed that the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority will publish a review of their work on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking later this year.

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Payments System Regulator on its market study into the ownership of payments systems by the largest banks.

Andrea Leadsom: At Budget 2014, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the competition powers of the payment systems regulator would be switched on with immediate effect. This enables the regulator to conduct a market study on ownership of the payment systems and, depending on the outcome, to refer the question of ownership to the Competition and Markets Authority. The decision about whether to commence a market study is one for the regulator.

Banks: Regulation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Prudential Regulatory Authority will report on details of new bank authorisations.

Andrea Leadsom: The Prudential Regulation Authority will report on details of new bank authorisations as part of the Annual Report and Accounts.

Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people were members of a credit union in each (a) region of England and (b) each borough of London in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of (a) the number of members of credit unions and (b) their total savings in each (i) region of the UK and (ii) London borough in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12, (C) 2012-13 and (D) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of total lending by (a) credit unions and (b) community development finance institutions in each (i) region of England and (ii) London borough in (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13 and (C) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government do not hold information on the numbers of credit union members or their total savings or lending by region. The data are held by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Debts: Advisory Services

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the provision of debt advice for carers in a) Glasgow North West, b) Glasgow, c) Scotland and d) the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Money Advice Service (MAS) is responsible for the coordination of debt advice funding across the UK and has a statutory duty to improve the quality, consistency and availability of debt advice. In 2013-14 MAS funded 163,000 debt advice sessions in England and Wales. MAS also co-funds debt advice in Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Government, which in the last financial year led to more than 11,000 people receiving advice.
	MAS research shows that 4% of the clients of its funded services are carers. Research also suggests that advice over the phone can be particularly useful for carers and MAS has expanded its funded services to enable them to provide advice in this way. Carers are also able to access free debt advice over the phone from National Debtline and StepChange Debt Charity.
	In Glasgow, there are two targeted projects which meet carers’ specific needs. These are:
	Yorkhill Families Money and Debt Advice Support Project: Yorkhill hospital and Glasgow Central Citizens Advice Bureau together provide advice to families who are financially vulnerable because of their children’s long-term health condition; and
	Glasgow Association for Mental Health Money and Debt Project, which provides free face-to-face advice debt advice to people with mental health problems across Glasgow and their carers.

Financial Services: Social Networking

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on the development of guidance on the use of social media for promotion of financial services.

Andrea Leadsom: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for conduct supervision of regulated financial firms, including their responsible promotion of products and services.
	In 2010 the then Financial Services Authority issued some high-level guidelines on use of ‘new media’—including social media—for such promotions. Since April 2013 the FCA has been engaging with industry, looking further at how social media interacts with FCA rules, and has committed to issue further guidelines later this summer.

Mortgages

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people having difficulty making mortgage repayments have requested help from the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last three years.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government do not collect data on the number of cases referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS routinely collects and publishes statistics about the complaints referred to them, which it makes publicly available on its website.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the Help to Buy Scheme to housing built with local affordable conditions attached.

Andrea Leadsom: The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme offers lenders the option to purchase a guarantee on mortgages where the borrower has a deposit of between 5% and 20% of the value of the property. A mortgage supported by the mortgage guarantee scheme works in exactly the same way as any other mortgage, but has to comply with the requirements set out in the scheme rules. In particular, the scheme rules exclude the use of the mortgage guarantee alongside other Government schemes or shared ownership schemes.
	The Help to Buy: equity loan scheme is managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government and is available to all those who aspire to own a new build home, but struggle to access or afford the repayments on a low deposit mortgage. The scheme is open to first time buyers and to those looking to move up the housing ladder.
	While the Government keep all schemes, including Help to Buy, under review, the Government currently have no plans to extend the Help to Buy scheme.
	Further information about both parts of the Help to Buy scheme can be found at:
	http://www.helptobuy.org.uk/home

Mortgages: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) Help to Buy Mortgage Guarantees and (b) Help to Buy: Equity Loans have been taken out in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Pendle to date.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government publish quarterly official statistics relating to the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The first of these were published on 29 May 2014.
	This report, along with accompanying tables, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014
	The Government also publish monthly statistics on the number of homes purchased with the support of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, by local authority in England. This data can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics

Mortgages: West Midlands

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many homes in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Birmingham have been bought under the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme to date.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government publish quarterly official statistics relating to the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The first of these were published on 29 May 2014.
	This report, along with accompanying tables, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014

Natural Resources

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal steps he has taken to promote the circular economy and sustainable use of resources.

Nicky Morgan: The £8 per tonne escalator in the standard rate of landfill tax has been extremely successful in reducing waste sent to landfill and providing certainty to the industry to invest in alternative technologies which help to ensure a more sustainable use of resources. Budget 2014 provided further certainty on the future of both the standard and lower rates by confirming that they will not be eroded by inflation in future years.
	Budget 2014 also announced an additional £5 million of funding to tackle waste crime, which will assist in the Environment Agency's drive to ensure effective compliance and enforcement with waste legislation.

North Sea Oil

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding for the extraction of North Sea oil has come from (a) the Government, (b) the Scottish Executive and (c) the private sector in each of the last 20 years.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
	Government Departments and agencies, including notably the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessor Departments, have for many years supported research aimed at identifying UK hydrocarbon potential and finding ways of finding and extracting it more cost-effectively. Comprehensive records of the amount spent on such activities by year across Government are not available.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have detailed information on the annual expenditure of the Scottish Executive.
	Estimates of total annual pre-tax expenditure in £ billions by the private sector on finding and developing UK hydrocarbons (oil and gas, in the North sea as well as elsewhere in the UK and on the UK Continental Shelf) for the period 1994–2013 are given in the following table. More detailed information through to 2012 is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-uk-field-data#ukcs-income-and-expenditure
	
		
			  £ billion 
			 1994 8.5 
			 1995 9.4 
			 1996 9.4 
			 1997 9.6 
			 1998 9.9 
			 1999 7.8 
			 2000 7.5 
			 2001 8.3 
			 2002 8.6 
			 2003 8.2 
			 2004 8.4 
			 2005 9.9 
			 2006 12.0 
			 2007 12.4 
			 2008 13.1 
			 2009 13.3 
			 2010 14.9 
			 2011 18.3 
			 2012 21.8 
			 2013 25.8

Revenue and Customs

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the minutes of the meetings of the HM Revenue and Customs' Board and associated sub-committees for (a) 2013 and (b) 2014.

David Gauke: It is HMRC's policy to publish Board and Executive Committee minutes annually. The HMRC website is due to be updated with these in the next month. HMRC's annual report contains a summary of the key areas of work for each sub-committee over the previous year.

Revenue and Customs

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what issues the HM Revenue and Customs' Scrutiny Committee has addressed since its establishment in 2013.

David Gauke: The remit of the Scrutiny Committee is to advise the Board and Principal Accounting Officer on issues referred by the Board for in-depth review, challenge or assurance. Since its establishment in 2013, the Committee has reviewed the departmental security strategy as well as the Department’s complaints handling processes.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that Natwest and other subsidiaries of RBS remain as competitive as possible in the banking sector.

Andrea Leadsom: On 1 November 2013, RBS committed to a new direction, focussing on its core British business, supporting British families and companies. RBS's new direction is supported wholeheartedly by the Bank of England, UKFI and the Government.
	RBS and its subsidiaries retain their own independent boards and management teams for strategic and operational decision-making.
	The Government's shareholding in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is managed on a commercial and arm's length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI).

Venture Capital

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission an assessment of the amount of investment in small and medium-sized enterprises from peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding platforms.

Andrea Leadsom: Crowdfunding and peer to peer lending are innovative new forms of finance that support competition in the business lending sector. The Government have taken a number of steps to support their growth.
	The Government have no current plans to commission an assessment of the amount of investment in small and medium-sized enterprises from peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platforms.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Boston College

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions the Prime Minister has had with the US President and others on the release of the files held by Boston College relating to Northern Ireland.

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website which is available here:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-ministers-gifts-and-hospitality-july-to-september-2013

Human Trafficking

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of victims of human trafficking through the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: In 2013 the UK National Referral Mechanism (NRM) received 1,746 referrals of potential victims of trafficking. However, trafficking is a covert crime and victims are often hidden, making it difficult to establish the true scale of the issue.
	The National Crime Agency’s UK Human Trafficking Centre publishes an annual assessment of the number of victims of human trafficking. The most recent assessment was published in August 2013 and can be found on the NCA website:
	www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk
	The Government are determined to lead the global fight against human trafficking (including modern slavery), and has introduced the Modern Slavery Bill. The Bill will give law enforcement the tools to stamp out modern slavery, and enhance protection for victims. To complement the Bill, the Government are also ramping up non-legislative action to tackle this abhorrent crime.

Knives: Crime

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures adopted following the Kinsella Review of anti-knife crime projects, published in February 2011; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: There has been no formal assessment of the measures introduced following the publication of the Kinsella Review. However, we keep the current Ending Gang and Youth Violence programme under close review, which supports the work of the 33 areas in England and Wales identified as having the most significant gang problems. This programme is aimed at tackling gang and youth violence and includes knife crime. Our assessment of the first year (2012-13) of the programme was positive, with local areas considering it to have been a success. We are currently finalising the assessment of the second year (2013-14).

Knives: Crime

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Government funding has been provided for tackling teenage knife crime in each year since publication of the Kinsella Review in February 2011.

Norman Baker: On 2 February 2011, Official Report, column 46WS, the Home Secretary announced £18 million funding to tackle knife, gun and gang crime. The funding was given to police, local agencies and the voluntary sector to tackle serious youth violence and prevent young people entering a cycle of crime. This funding addressed issues of gang and youth violence including knife crime.
	The two year funding supported enforcement and prevention work by police in three knife crime hotspot areas, alongside positive activities for young people and local work to bring about long-term changes in attitudes and behaviours. The money included up to:
	£3.75 million (£2 million in 2011-12 and £1.75 million in 2012-13) for the three police forces areas where more than half of the country’s knife crime occurs—the Metropolitan Police Service, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands.
	£4 million (£2 million in 2011-12 and £1.75 million in 2012-13 ) for a ‘communities against gangs, guns and knives’ fund—for local voluntary organisations across England and Wales working with young people to stop involvement in knife and gang violence.
	£10 million for prevention and diversionary activities and engagement with young people at risk of becoming involved in crime, including knife related violence
	£1 million to support the development of anti-knife, gun and gang crime materials for schools and a good practice website to enable local projects to share knowledge and expertise. About 280 practitioners are now sharing information through the Knowledge Hub set up in the Local Government Association website.
	£250,000 for 2011-12 of the Ben Kinsella Fund (in addition to the £250,000 provided for 2010-11) for young people to run anti-knife crime projects in their local area.

Police

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of working time police officers in each police force spent on frontline policing duties in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.
	The Home Office does however collect police officer functions data which are used by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to calculate the number of operational frontline police officers in each police force area. These figures (and information on visible police officers) are published from 2010 onwards as part of the ‘Valuing the Police’ inspection programme, which can be found at:
	http://www.hmic.gov.uk/data/valuing-the-police-data/
	These figures relate to each officer’s predominant function over the year, rather than the proportion of their working time.

Surveillance: Aircraft

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the potential need for a separate national policy on the collection, use and retention of data gathered by unmanned or other surveillance aircraft operating in the UK.

Damian Green: None. Existing regulation and guidance, which includes the surveillance camera code of practice issued under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, applies to the use of aircraft including remotely piloted aerial vehicles. The code provides a framework of good practice for surveillance camera operators in England and Wales and sets out obligations arising from other legislation, including those for the processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998. Any covert surveillance undertaken by a public authority which is likely to obtain private information would be subject to authorisation under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has made an assessment of the advice of Jemima Stratford QC to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Existing regulation and guidance, which includes the Covert Surveillance and Property Interference Code of Practice, applies to the use of aircraft including remotely piloted aerial vehicles. The Code provides a framework of good practice for public authorities using covert surveillance techniques. The Department has noted the responses by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones to the recent consultation on a revised version of the Code and intend to lay a further draft before Parliament in due course.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Dungeness B Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information has been provided to his Department by (a) EDF Energy and (b) the Office for Nuclear Regulation on the application by EDF Energy to extend the operating life of the Dungeness B reactor.

Michael Fallon: In December 2013, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) received a notification from EDF Energy of the intention to extend the planned operating life of Dungeness B AGR power station (as required under the Nuclear Liabilities Funding Agreement). Information relating to this process was shared with the Department. The decision on whether in practice to extend the life of the plant will be a commercial matter for EDF Energy. This is subject to the relevant safety and security regulations.

Energy: Business

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with (a) electricity generators and (b) representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises and consumer groups on proposals to assist small business energy consumers.

Michael Fallon: DECC Ministers and officials meet industry representatives and consumer groups on a regular basis to discuss market issues.
	In July last year, No. 10 and DECC set up a joint working group with industry and consumer groups to look at ways for improving the transparency and fairness of the energy market for small businesses. At the end of 2013, the working group published the Small Business Energy Communiqué, an agreement with industry to make it easier for small businesses to get a better deal in the energy market.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/small-business-energy-working-group-communique

Energy: Business

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will list the energy companies which have agreed to (a) introduce arrangements before the end of 2014 to limit bad bills to businesses to one year where the supplier is at fault and (b) end automatic roll-overs for new customers.

Michael Fallon: British Gas, Edf Energy, E.ON, First Utility, Good Energy, Opus Energy, RWE nPower, Scottish Power and SSE publically announced that they plan to limit back bills where the company is at fault to one year by the end of 2013, or as soon as practically possible in 2014.
	British Gas, Edf Energy, E.ON, First Utility, RWE nPower, Scottish Power and SSE announced their intention to end the use of automatic rollover contracts for new customers before the end of 2014.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1119W, on energy prices, what estimate his Department has made of changes to the wholesale cost of (a) electricity and (b) gas in (i) 2013 and (ii) January to May 2014.

Gregory Barker: The average GB wholesale electricity price in January 2013 was 5.00 pence/kWh. By December 2013 this had risen by 2% to 5.10 pence/kWh. The average price for January 2014 was 4.78 pence/kWh. By May 2014 this had fallen by 17% to 3.97 pence/kWh.
	The average GB wholesale gas price in January 2013 was 2.28 pence/kWh. By December 2013 this had risen by 4% to 2.37 pence/kWh. The average price for January 2014 was 2.22 pence/kWh. By May 2014 this had fallen by 30% to 1.55 pence/kWh.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1119W, on energy prices, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) wholesale and (b) retail cost of (i) electricity and (ii) gas in 2013.

Gregory Barker: The average GB wholesale electricity price in 2013 was 4.98 pence/kWh1. For gas, it was 2.32 pence/kWh2.
	These prices do not necessarily reflect the costs faced by energy suppliers, who typically buy their energy over a period of time using forward contracts—a practice known as hedging. The particular hedging strategies employed by different suppliers are commercially confidential and not known to Government.
	1 Source: data received by DECC from commercial price reporting companies.
	2 Ibid.

Energy: Prices

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to provide assistance to people with cold-related health conditions who are struggling to pay their heating bills.

Gregory Barker: The evidence is clear that living in cold homes can have a substantial range of negative health impacts. We have a strong package of policies already delivering assistance to those in need.
	These include:
	the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) which funds efficient boilers and insulation measures to low income and vulnerable households and is now guaranteed until at least 2017;
	the Warm Home Discount scheme, which gave over 1.2 million of the lowest income pensioners £135 off their electricity bills in winter 2013-14, and supported more than 2 million households in total;
	Winter Fuel and Cold Weather payments which provide support to pensioners and vulnerable low income groups; and
	the Big Energy Saving Network which is providing outreach to consumers, helping them understand tariffs and switching options as well as how they could benefit from energy efficiency programmes available to them.
	In July 2013 DECC published the document Fuel Poverty: a framework for future action, this stated Government's intention to continue to prioritise ‘vulnerable' fuel poor households (ie those containing an elderly person, a child or someone who is long term sick or disabled) within fuel poverty policies.
	We have been discussing links between fuel poverty and health with colleagues in the Department of Health, and Public Health England, at all levels, including ministerial, as part of our preparation for a new fuel poverty strategy.

Energy: Waste

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of export of refuse-derived fuel and solid recovered fuel for use in energy from waste plants overseas has on the ability of the UK to meet renewable energy targets; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: DECC has not made an assessment of the effect of export of refuse-derived fuel and solid recovered fuel may have on the ability to meet renewable energy targets.
	We are making good progress towards meeting our 2020 target. In 2012 4.2% of UK energy consumption was met by renewables, up from 3.8% in 2011. Our latest estimates suggest that the UK is currently on course to meet our next interim renewable target of 5.4% for 2013-14.

Fuel Poverty

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on support for people in fuel poverty who suffer from cold-related health conditions.

Gregory Barker: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change met my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health in February 2014, specifically to discuss how DECC and the Department of Health can work together to tackle fuel poverty, building on previous collaboration.

Natural Gas: Storage

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the potential need for additional gas storage capacity in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Department commissioned independent analysis by Redpoint Energy on the case for intervention in the UK gas storage market.
	This cost-benefit analysis did not support intervention to deliver additional gas storage capacity within the UK due to a combination of low risk, poor rates of return for the taxpayer, and the risk of unintended consequences within the market. A written statement to Parliament on gas security of supply policy and gas storage was made by the Secretary of State on 4 September 2013.
	The market continues to bring forward gas storage projects: two storage facilities have recently been completed and two more are currently under construction.

Natural Gas: Storage

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to reassess the need for additional gas storage capacity in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: We published on 3 September 2013 an independent assessment about the need to intervene in the gas storage market. With reference to my answer to written question 198546, we decided against intervention on the basis of the cost-benefit analysis undertaken by Redpoint Energy.
	The factors which underpinned this decision have not changed. I have no plans to reassess the need for additional gas storage capacity within the UK.

Wind Power: Electrical Substations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of potential health risks arising from (a) above-ground and (b) underground electricity cables which connect onshore windfarms to sub-stations.

Michael Fallon: Public Health England (PHE) is advisor on potential health risks from above ground or underground electricity cables. Government policy, based on advice from PHE, is that the 1998 International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection guidelines on public exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) are applied in terms of the 1999 EU Council Recommendation on limiting exposure of the general public (1999/519/EC). PHE remains the focus of UK expertise in such matters and keeps the scientific evidence relevant to EMF exposures under review.

Wind Power: Electrical Substations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department makes funding available for onshore windfarm operators to place cables underground between the windfarm and the connecting sub-station.

Michael Fallon: The Department does not make specific funding available to generators for placing their cables underground. However, network infrastructure costs have been factored into Government decisions on levels of support for onshore windfarms such as the Renewables Obligation.

Wind Power: Electrical Substations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many onshore wind farms have been connected to sub-stations in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: According to Renewable-UK Wind Energy Database the following numbers of onshore wind projects have been connected in Great Britain over the past five years. The vast majority of these projects contained five or fewer turbines. The Department does not hold data on what, if any, connections to sub-stations were required.
	
		
			  Number of projects 
			 2014 34 
			 2013 73 
			 2012 109 
			 2011 48 
			 2010 43 
		
	
	Further details of these onshore wind projects are available at:
	http://www.renewableuk.com/en/renewable-energy/wind-energy/uk-wind-energy-database/index.cfm

Wind Power: Electrical Substations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that onshore wind farm developers take into account the costs of (a) overground cables and (b) underground cables between a wind farm and its sub-station when taking decisions on laying such cables.

Michael Fallon: Onshore wind farm developers already take into account the costs of different connection options as part of their commercial decisions. In addition, developers submitting applications for nationally significant infrastructure proposals are required to consider alternative options for connections, including undergrounding and routes, as part of the planning consent process.

Wind Power: Electrical Substations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what the average distance is between an onshore wind farm and its connecting sub-station;
	(2)  what length of cables between onshore wind farms and connecting sub-stations has been placed (a) above ground and (b) underground in each of the last five years;
	(3)  in which locations cables between onshore wind farms and connecting sub-stations have been placed completely underground in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Fallon: The Department does not hold this information. Wind farms usually own the cables connecting them to substations. Gathering the information requested would, therefore, require contacting individual wind farm developers at a disproportionate cost.

Wind Power: Electrical Substations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many occasions and relating to which locations proposals for overground cables between onshore wind farms and the connecting sub-station have been rejected in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Fallon: The Department has not rejected any applications for overhead line connections to onshore wind farms in the past 10 years in England and Wales.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will amend the Access to Work scheme to enable deaf people to employ a full-time salaried support worker.

Michael Penning: The Access to Work programme currently allows for support to be organised in this way if it offers the most cost-effective and practical solution and there is clear customer need for that level of support. We are taking a close look at the Access to Work programme over the next three months, focusing on how we can assist the largest number of disabled people in work. We will include in that process a consideration of how best to address the needs of customers requiring support for a large number of hours each week on an ongoing basis.

Access to Work Programme

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis was for the decision to change the Access to Work scheme in regards to deaf people having to employ a full-time salaried support worker.

Michael Penning: The Access to Work programme has not been changed in this way. No customers are required to employ a full-time support worker, their employers and support providers and we are not prescriptive on this.

Access to Work Programme

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK have received support through the Access to Work scheme in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: Please see figures for the last full three financial years for which data are available.
	
		
			  Numbers helped by Access to Work support in Scotland: 
			 2010/11 2,800 
			 2011/12 2,510 
			 2012/13 2,500 
		
	
	
		
			  Numbers helped by Access to Work support in Great Britain: 
			 2010/11 35,820 
			 2011/12 30,780 
			 2012/13 31,500

Access to Work Programme

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding has been provided to disabled people in Scotland and the UK through the Access to Work scheme in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: Please see figures for the last full three financial years for which data are available.
	
		
			 Access to Work programme spend in Scotland 
			  £ million 
			 2010/11 6.5 
			 2011/12 6.0 
			 2012/13 5.9 
		
	
	
		
			 Access to Work programme spend in Great Britain: 
			  £ million 
			 2010/11 105.5 
			 2011/12 98.3 
			 2012/13 99.0

Access to Work Programme: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to promote the Access to Work scheme to disabled people in Scotland.

Michael Penning: Access to Work is a valued and succesful national programme that makes a real difference to the working lives of disabled people throughout the UK.
	The Department for Work and Pensions has actively marketed Access to Work to raise awareness of the programme through a national marketing campaign lasting throughout 2013. This included activity to further strengthen our partnerships with key stakeholders and organisations, developing marketing materials, attending key events and digital marketing. The campaign involved a wide range of communications activities, including press releases, presentations at disability and employer events, articles in disability publications and engagement in direct marketing to large employers. It also included use of digital media, paid advertising links in popular search engines, magazine adverts and awareness training for Jobcentre Plus Disability Employment Advisors.
	Access to Work also featured in the launch of the Department's Disability Confident campaign in July 2013 and at subsequent local events, including Glasgow on 4 March 2014.
	The Department for Work and Pensions has worked closely with the Public Health division of the Scottish Government to raise awareness of Access to Work with health professionals. This included sharing information on the NHS Scotland's Knowledge Network and the Health and Employability Delivery Group.

Carers' Benefits

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on carers of (a) each change and (b) all changes to the benefits system since 2010;
	(2)  if he will conduct an assessment of the effect on carers of the implementation of the Welfare Reform Act 2012.

Michael Penning: The Universal Credit Impact Assessment was published in December 2012. Full details of the report can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/welfare-reform-act-2012-impact-assessments

Carers: Income

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the real-terms income of carers in each of the years from 2010 to 2014; and what estimate he has made of the real-terms income of carers in 2015 in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland, and (d) the UK.

Michael Penning: This information is not available.

Employment and Support Allowance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Tom Greatrex) of 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 705W on Atos Healthcare, on how many occasions a Jobcentre Plus decision-maker did not follow the advice of an Atos-approved healthcare professional when making a decision on the eligibility for employment and support allowance in each month since May 2010.

Michael Penning: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 The number of occasions where the JCP decision maker’s final decision was different to the advice given by the Atos healthcare professional—May 2010 to June 2013 
			 Month/year JCP decision differs from Atos recommendation 
			 2010  
			 May 900 
			 June 900 
			 July 1,100 
			 August 1,200 
			 September 1,200 
			 October 1,900 
			 November 2,600 
			 December 2,300 
			 2011:  
			 January 2,700 
			 February 3,100 
			 March 3,700 
			 April 2,800 
			 May 3,100 
			 June 2,800 
			 July 2,100 
			 August 1,900 
			 September 1,600 
			 October 1,400 
			 November 1,500 
			 December 1,200 
			 2012:  
			 January 1,800 
			 February 2,300 
			 March 2,700 
			 April 2,300 
			 May 2,600 
			 June 2,700 
			 July 3,200 
			 August 3,200 
			 September 3,800 
			 October 4,600 
			 November 4,700 
			 December 3,700 
			 2013:  
			 January 4,800 
			 February 4,400 
			 March 4,000 
			 April 4,100 
			 May 4,900 
		
	
	
		
			 June 5,300 
			 Notes: 1. These figures do not include work capability assessments completed on incapacity benefit (IB) reassessment claims. 2. The table includes initial assessments only and the figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Sources: DWP’s benefit administration datasets covering new claims (starting from 27 October 2008); Atos Healthcare’s face to face assessment, ESA85 data and limited capability for work questionnaire, ESA50 data; and HMCTS’s appeals caseload data.

Employment Schemes

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Community Work Placement providers schemes (a) were operating by 28 April 2014, (b) were operating no later than 2 June 2014 and (c) are yet to commence; for what reasons any providers have breached of the 2 June 2014 commencement deadline; at what capacity the scheme is currently running; and when he estimates that the scheme will be fully operational (i) in Brighton and Hove Local Authority Area and (ii) nationally.

Esther McVey: Community work placements are being introduced in a phased approach from 28 May 2014 to 9 June 2014. Brighton and Hove started on 9 June 2014 and is taking placements as planned.

Independent Living Fund

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has issued to local authorities on the abolition of the Independent Living Fund; what discussions he has held with his ministerial colleagues on this issue; and what steps he is taking to monitor the effect of this decision on disabled people at a national and local level.

Michael Penning: My Department is committed to working closely with the ILF and other Government Departments to support the work required to enable an effective transfer for ILF users by 30 June 2015.
	The ILF also has undertaken a dedicated programme of engagement with local authorities and is also engaging directly with all of those authorities who will be involved in the transfer of user care and support in 2015.
	This includes a local authority commitment to the code of practice between the ILF and local authorities in England, backed by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and the Local Government Association (LGA).
	DWP is currently developing plans for monitoring the impact of ILF closure on those groups who share protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, both on former users of the ILF and on disabled people more generally.

Legal Aid Scheme

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many cases funded by legal aid against his Department where public interest lawyers have represented clients were won by his Department in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  in how many cases against his Department funded by legal aid public interest lawyers have represented clients in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Penning: The Department does not centrally record information about the identity of claimants' representatives or information relating to claimants' funding arrangements. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether Capita will incur penalties for delays in carrying out personal independence payments assessments;
	(2)  whether Capita have been given additional funding to deal with backlogs of personal independence payments assessments.

Michael Penning: The information is as follows:
	(1) The information is commercial in confidence.
	(2) The Department regularly meets with both Assessment Providers to discuss performance. Failure to meet contractual obligations will result in the Department applying service credits (financial remedies) in line with the contract.

Public Expenditure

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the change category of spending in his Department's quarterly summary of spending data.

Michael Penning: In line with other Departments, the most recent published version of the quarterly data summary (QDS) is that of Q3 2013/14. This is visible on Cabinet Office's Government interrogating Spending Tool.

Social Security Benefits

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effects of removing dedicated funding for local welfare assistance; and if he will review the current local welfare assistance arrangements introduced in 2013 before any such change is made.

Steve Webb: In the next spending round period, from April 2015, central Government will continue to provide support to local authorities through general funds, as part of the coalition Government's commitment to reducing ring-fencing and ending top-down Whitehall control.
	It was always the intention that 2014-15 would be the last year of separate funding for local welfare provision from the Department for Work and Pensions. Councils will continue to provide support to those in their community who face financial difficulties or who find themselves in unavoidable circumstances.
	In contrast to a centralised grant system that was poorly targeted, councils can now choose how to best support local welfare needs within their areas. As this is an administrative change only no assessment has been made of the effects. However we are carrying out a review of the current arrangements, working with the Local Government Association and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Once completed it is our intention to place a copy of the findings in the House Library.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impairment type or main disabling condition is experienced by people on (a) employment and support allowance and (b) job seeker's allowance and under sanction.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Unemployment: Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of people who are currently unemployed who have repeat episode depressions; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the use of mindfulness-based interventions in making people ready for work.

Michael Penning: We do not keep health data on those who are currently unemployed. However we know that at any one time one in six people has a mental health problem like anxiety or depression, and a further two in a hundred are affected by severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia.
	We are currently considering the design of the pilots to test the most promising interventions and evidence-based approaches put forward by RAND Europe and we will be implementing these pilots this year.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to include an automated system for cross-checking data within the universal credit system.

Esther McVey: DWP is already using data matching to automatically cross-reference UC claims to prevent fraud and error.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues about the risk of fraud in the universal credit system.

Esther McVey: As part of the secure, controlled roll out of universal credit, the Secretary of State has discussed the risk of fraud within universal credit extensively with his ministerial colleagues and continues to do so.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people he expects to be claiming universal credit by the end of (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016, (d) 2017 and (e) 2018.

Esther McVey: We announced our plans for the implementation of universal credit on 5 December, and these were set out in a written ministerial statement. The WMS can be found here:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131205/wmstext/131205m0001.htm#13120551000006
	Official statistics on universal credit were most recently published on 14 May and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-statistics-apr-2013-to-31-march-2014

Vacancies: Internet

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of vacancies on Universal Jobsmatch classified as employer confidential; and what checks are in place to ensure that such vacancies are not bogus, fraudulent or otherwise inappropriate.

Esther McVey: Universal Jobmatch revolutionises the way jobseekers look for work and it has already helped many jobseekers find the jobs they want through the millions of vacancies posted since 2012. It is part of the Government’s plan for providing easy online access to government services for all.
	There are various circumstances where an employer may wish to keep their details confidential—for example, if they are employing a personal carer or another role where they are using their home address. We estimate that there are 42,544 employer confidential vacancies currently on Universal Jobmatch. This equates to 7.1% of the total live vacancies as at 5 June 2014.
	The security of a user's data is of the utmost importance to us and built into the service are monitoring tools and vacancy checks, which help to detect, deter and remedy inappropriate use of the site. Checks are made to identify inappropriate, fraudulent and bogus jobs and employers in order to block them from being posted.
	There are also warnings to users of the service advising them they should not be asked to reveal personal information i.e. bank details, as this information is not relevant to the application process.
	Additionally, a ‘Contact Us' facility is provided so users can quickly highlight any employers that users may have concerns about. DWP then investigate such concerns.
	These checks are in place for all vacancies, including employer confidential vacancies.

Work Capability Assessment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have successfully appealed refusals of employment and support allowance as part of (a) the periodic reassessment of existing employment and support allowance claimants and (b) the reassessment of those in receipt of incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and income support.

Michael Penning: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Capability Assessment

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many workplace capability assessments have been passed from his Department to Atos for processing in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many workplace capability assessments have been processed by Atos within 35 working days to date;
	(3)  what the current actual average clearance time is for a workplace capability assessment;
	(4)  what penalties his Department is able to levy on workplace capability assessment providers who miss targets;
	(5)  how many workplace capability assessments have been submitted to Atos, processed and returned within 35 working days in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) West Lothian local authority area in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: The number of employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit reassessment work capability assessment referrals to Atos Healthcare in each of the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 1 June 2011 to 31 May 2012 1,553,839 
			 1 June 2012 to 31 May 2013 1,742,593 
			 1 June 2013 to 31 May 2014 1,495,159 
		
	
	For the period October 2008 to May 2014, there have been 3,431,528 employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit reassessment cases processed by Atos Healthcare within 35 days.
	The latest (April 2014) national employment and support allowance work capability assessment actual average clearance time (AACT) is 118.9 days.
	There are a range of financial remedies available within the medical services contract to address service level failure. However this is a matter of commercial in confidence between the Department for Work and Pensions and its supplier Atos Healthcare.
	The number of employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit allowance cases that were referred to Atos Healthcare processed and returned within 35 days in each of the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			 (a) UK Number 
			 1 June 2011 to 31 May 2012 767,674 
		
	
	
		
			 1 June 2012 to 31 May 2013 1,073,987 
			 1 June 2013 to 31 May 2014 249,305 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) Scotland Number 
			 1 June 2011 to 31 May 2012 97,951 
			 1 June 2012 to 31 May 2013 133,923 
			 1 June 2013 to 31 May 2014 58,326 
		
	
	(c) West Lothian local authority area
	The information requested is not available.

Work Capability Assessment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 7 May 2014, Official Report, column 228W, on social security benefits: disability, if he will take steps to reduce the national average waiting times for work capability assessments for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit reassessment;
	(2)  what the target waiting time is for work capability assessment for both (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit reassessment; and what proportion of such assessments have been carried out within the target timescale in the last four quarters for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: We are working closely with our supplier to deliver the best possible service for claimants, driving up performance and quality to help reduce waiting times and process claims as quickly as possible. We are continuing to monitor and robustly manage this contract.
	We do not have a target timescale for waiting time for an employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit reassessment work capability assessment.

PRIME MINISTER

Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister if he will attend the global leaders Climate Summit in September 2014 in New York; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: The UK strongly welcomes the UN Secretary-General's leadership in convening a Climate Summit in September in New York. It will provide added momentum to international action on tackling climate change and showcase significant actions to address the issue. No decision has yet been taken about the composition of the UK's delegation to the Summit.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  on what date and which Minister signed off the decision to give permission to the Chilcot inquiry to disclose quotations or gists of the content of notes from Tony Blair or records of discussions between the UK Prime Minister and the President of the United States; when detailed consideration of the gists and quotations requested by the Inquiry began; how many (a) gists and (b) quotations of Tony Blair are under consideration; whether the publication of any gists or quotations has yet been agreed; and which Minister will approve the decisions on which gists or quotations can be published;
	(2)  with reference to the letter of 28 May 2014 from Sir John Chilcot to the Cabinet Secretary, which Government Minister agreed, and on what date, that there was no prospect of reaching agreement that Notes or records of discussions between the UK Prime Minister and the President of the United States should be disclosed in their entirety or with redactions.

David Cameron: The inquiry is completely independent of Government and should be allowed to complete its work without interference.
	At the outset of the inquiry, Government and the inquiry agreed a documents protocol on the handling of information provided to the inquiry. The protocol names the Cabinet Secretary as final arbiter in discussions about disclosure. He is the right person to perform this role. He is the most senior civil servant and can see papers of a previous Government. Sir John Chilcot’s letter of 28 May describes the background against which the inquiry made its requests for gists and quotes. Sir John also makes clear that the gists and quotes are sufficient for the inquiry’s purposes.
	Sir John Chilcot’s letter of 28 May is available on the Iraq inquiry website and I am placing a copy in the Library of the House.
	The Government will not comment further on the extent or detail of the inquiry’s declassification requests. I have made clear my hope that the inquiry will be able to complete its work by the end of the year.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what recent representations (a) he, (b) other Ministers and (c) officials of (i) 10 Downing Street and (ii) the Cabinet Office have made to the (A) Chairman and (B) secretariat of the Chilcot inquiry on delays in publication of its report due to responses from officials of the US administration; what response was received to these representations; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many documents provided by the Government to the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war have been declassified; how many such documents he estimates will be declassified within the next six months; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the (a) Chairman and (b) Secretary of the Chilcot inquiry on the publication of its report since March 2013; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  when he expects the report of the Chilcot Inquiry into the war in Iraq to be published; what discussions Sir John Chilcot has had with those expected to be criticised in his report; if he will ensure that hon. Members are provided with a full paper copy of the report and all (a) oral and (b) written evidence that was presented to the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  if he will seek the agreement of the US President to the publication of classified documents by the Chilcot inquiry; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  if he will discuss with the administrators of the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war a final date for publication; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  what recent discussions he has had with the US President on the publication by the Chilcot inquiry of conversations between (a) Tony Blair and George W. Bush and (b) the right hon. Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath (Mr Brown) and George W. Bush in the period (i) leading up to the conflict in Iraq and (ii) after the invasion of Iraq; what response was received from the President; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  if it remains his policy to publish the report of the Chilcot inquiry in full; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: The Iraq inquiry is independent of government, and should be allowed to complete its work without interference.
	Neither I nor Ministers have had any discussions with or made any representations to the inquiry. Nor have I discussed the inquiry with President Obama.
	The inquiry has sought the declassification of material for inclusion in its report from many thousands of documents, some of which have been or will be published. Government do not, as a rule, comment on any discussions between officials and the inquiry.
	The Maxwellisation process is a matter for the inquiry.
	The Government remain committed to ensuring that the inquiry’s final report will be able to disclose all but the most sensitive information which will be determined in accordance with the protocol governing the disclosure of documentary evidence which is available through the inquiry website.
	Timing of the delivery of the report to me is a matter for the inquiry, but it is my hope that the inquiry can complete its work before the end of the year. Upon publication, copies of the report will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use in Northern Ireland of prize draws to increase voter registration.

Greg Clark: No direct assessment has been made by the Cabinet Office of the use of prize draws to improve electoral registration in Northern Ireland. However, we have learnt from the experience of Northern Ireland and used it to inform the development of Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in Great Britain. Unlike the transition to IER in Northern Ireland in 2002, in Great Britain data matching is being used to confirm the majority of current electors on the existing register without them having to make a new application. The Government have also provided £4.2 million funding which has been shared between five national organisations and all 363 local authorities in order to promote voter registration, particularly amongst under-registered groups.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether monies collected from fixed penalty notices issued for failure to register on the electoral register will be retained by the local authority which issues that notice.

Greg Clark: Under paragraph 11 of schedule ZA1 to the Representation of the People Act 1983, monies received from a civil penalty notice issued for failure to respond to a notice of requirement to register on the electoral register are paid into the Consolidated Fund.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  when electoral registration officers will be able to impose fixed penalty notices for non-registration;
	(2)  what training has been given to electoral registration officers in the implementation of fixed penalty notices for non-registration;
	(3)  with reference to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 283W, on electoral register, if he will make it his policy to collect information on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for non-registration in the run up to the introduction of individual electoral registration.

Greg Clark: From 10 June 2014, alongside the introduction of individual electoral registration (IER), electoral registration officers in England and Wales will be able to impose civil penalty notices for failure to respond to a notice of requirement to register on the electoral register. In Scotland this will be from 19 September 2014 alongside the introduction of IER in Scotland, following the Scottish referendum.
	In conjunction with the Electoral Commission we intend to collect information on the number of civil penalties issued for failure to respond to an IER invitation through each local authority's Electoral Management System.
	Local authority staff who are responsible for the delivery of electoral registration have been fully trained on IER processes, including a module on notices of requirement to register and on civil penalties.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with reference to the answer of 28 January 2014, Official Report, columns 509-10W, on electoral registration, whether his Department provides funding to Bite the Ballot to increase voter registration.

Greg Clark: The Government recently announced that all 363 local authorities and valuation joint boards in Great Britain and five national organisations are sharing £4.2 million funding to promote voter registration amongst under-registered groups.
	Organisations with ideas on how funding can be used to create and support opportunities to promote voter registration, including Bite the Ballot, have been encouraged to approach local authorities, and I emphasised this point with Bite the Ballot when I met them in March this year.

Local Government: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the potential economic benefits of the City Deal for the Greater Brighton area to that region over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: The Greater Brighton City Deal will enable the area to fulfil its economic potential, turning it into one of the highest performing urban economies in the UK, and boosting its already vibrant creative-digital sector. Local leaders predict that the measures agreed in the City Deal will create at least 1,300 jobs over the next five years, and leverage £24.5 million of investment. In the longer term, the deal is expected to create 8,500 jobs and add £361 million per year to the local economy. The Greater Brighton City Deal is available at:
	www.gov.uk

Unemployment: Young People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress the Cabinet Secretary's review into the provision of assistance for unemployed young people has made.

Nicholas Clegg: The Government have announced a number of policies that have been informed by the review's findings, including two pilots for 18 to 21-year-olds claiming jobseeker's allowance aimed at improving basic skills in Maths and English for those without level 2 from the beginning of their claim and ensuring people receive work or skills base activity best suited to their needs after six months. We will also be piloting, for the first time, extending Job Centre Plus advisor support to 16 and 17-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and not in receipt of an out of work benefit. The Government have also introduced new statutory guidance for schools on careers guidance, and announced the creation of an online portal for post-16 education and training opportunities.

Unemployment: Young People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the findings of the Cabinet Secretary's review into the provision of assistance for unemployed young people will be published.

Nicholas Clegg: The Prime Minister and I commissioned work last summer to look at provision for 16 to 24-year-olds to see if more could be done to help young people into work. This has informed internal policy advice that has been provided to myself and the Prime Minister on an ongoing basis. A number of initial findings led to announcements by the Chancellor in the autumn statement, and by myself in February 2014. Further findings will be announced over time.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will publish a list of all consultancy groups and sub-contractors used by her Department on the Bost Agri-Business and airfield projects in Afghanistan.

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers' money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame. DFID's work on Bost airfield was completed in November 2013.
	The following consultancy groups were paid directly by DFID on the Bost Airfield and Business Park programme:
	Coffey International;
	Crown Agents; and
	Mott Macdonald.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what official agreements were made between her Department and the Afghan Investment Support Agency for any work relating to the (a) Bost Agri Industrial Park and (b) Bost airfield.

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original time frame and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers’ money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame. DFID’s work on Bost airfield was completed in November 2013.
	DFID put a Memorandum of Understanding in place with AISA and the Helmand Provincial Government in April 2012, focusing solely on the development of the Bost Agri Business Park. AISA was not engaged on the Bost airfield.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 461W, on Afghanistan, what works at the Bost Agri Park and Bost airfield were left by USAID upon her Department taking control of the project in 2009.

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers’ money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame. DFID's work on Bost airfield was completed in November 2013.
	The information required to answer the hon. Member's question is not available in the form requested.

Developing Countries: Abortion

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 8 May 2014, Official Report, column 279W, on developing countries: family planning, how much of her Department's budget has been allocated to achieving outcomes in her Department's policy paper Safe and Unsafe Abortion in each of the last two years.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID adheres to Development Co-Operation Directorate (OACD-DAC) expenditure coding requirements to allow comparison across donor spending towards attainment of the millennium development goal targets. This measures against coding titles as have been internationally agreed. Only coding titles as have been internationally agreed can be individually disaggregated by DFID systems.

Development Aid

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 381W, on development aid, if she will publish the agreement (a) between her Department, the CDC and ACTIS on the Department for International Development impact fund and (b) between her Department and ACTIS when it was spun off from the CDC; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The agreement between my Department and CDC for the Impact Fund will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Copies of the key documents relating to CDC and Actis were placed in the Library of the House by the then Secretary of State for International Development subsequent to his ministerial statement on the CDC reorganisation of 12 July 2004.

International Climate Fund

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library a list of all projects supported by the International Climate Fund.

Lynne Featherstone: The International Climate Fund is £3.869 billion of climate finance, over 2011-12 to 2015-16, for developing countries to help them tackle climate change.
	The portfolio of International Climate Fund investments is growing and therefore additional projects will be approved and start up during the course of 2014-15. I have deposited a list of International Climate Fund projects up until 2013-14 in the House Library.

South Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she has taken to (a) improve the security of humanitarian aid goods and workers and (b) speed up customs processes for humanitarian aid shipments in South Sudan.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to press for safe and unhindered access for humanitarian goods and workers in South Sudan. At the Humanitarian Conference on South Sudan in Oslo on 20 May, which was attended by both the South Sudanese Government and the Opposition, I called on all parties to facilitate safe and speedy access, including accelerated customs clearance. The FCO Minister for Africa raised humanitarian access with senior Ministers when he visited Juba in April.
	The UK is also providing practical support to help improve security. For example we are funding well-coordinated and security-aware transportation of goods and staff, including emergency air evacuations, through the World Food Programme Logistics Cluster. We are also supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which works to increase understanding of, and respect for, International Humanitarian Law by all parties to the conflict. UK officials raise our concerns about the humanitarian situation and the need to improve access regularly in Juba and Addis Ababa.

Yemen

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the effect of lethal operations in Yemen on (a) the civilian population and (b) security in that country.

Alan Duncan: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) activity and attacks continue to threaten Yemen's development and security. DFID has made no specific assessment of the effect of such operations in Yemen, but along with other Departments has conducted detailed analyses of conflict and instability.

HEALTH

Abortion

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 7 May 2014, Official Report, column 230W, on abortion, whether his Department has formed a view as to when the Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians publication, “The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion”, should be updated in order to take into account new research; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: An updated guideline, “The Care of Women Requesting induced Abortion”, was published in 2011. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is maintaining a watching brief on the need to review recommendations in the light of new research evidence.

Bone Diseases: Children

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to maintain and improve specialist services for children suffering from brittle bone disease.

Daniel Poulter: The nature of brittle bone disease requires care across the healthcare system, the majority being provided in the community by a variety of therapists with involvement from a wide multi-disciplinary team. The provision of services for children with brittle bone disease in Northern Ireland will be a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the health service in Northern Ireland.
	In England, in the majority of cases the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) will decide on the level of provision of services, taking into account the needs of the population it serves. The CCG's decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs.
	Complex childhood brittle bone services in England are commissioned by NHS England which has developed a specification for these services. This can be found at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e13-child-osteo-imperfecta.pdf

Cancer

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the adequacy of the sentences available under the Cancer Act 1939 for people convicted of fraudulently advertising offers to treat cancer.

Jane Ellison: The Department last consulted on changes to the Cancer Act 1939 in 2006, and subsequently to this a Legislative Reform Order came into force in October 2008.
	We do not currently have any plans to review the adequacy of the sentences available under the Act for people convicted of fraudulently advertising offers to treat cancer.

Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that there is no age discrimination in NHS treatment of breast, prostate and bowel cancer.

Jane Ellison: The national health service has a statutory duty to reduce health inequalities and improve the health of those with the poorest outcomes. The NHS constitution makes clear that a core duty of the NHS is to promote equality for all groups in society, including older people. A ban on age discrimination in NHS services was introduced in 2012, meaning that NHS services need to do everything they can to ensure that services do not unwittingly discriminate against older people.
	As well as the legal and moral imperative, improving the treatment and care of older people affected by cancer can also play a significant role in improving outcomes. Tackling health inequalities and promoting equality of outcome in England is essential to achieving cancer survival rates which match the best performing countries in the world. Furthermore, cancer treatment should always be based on what is right for each individual patient, whatever their age.
	In December last year, NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer, Sean Duffy, launched a ‘call for action' on the treatment for older people, a priority for NHS England and its partners. As part of this, NHS England is setting up an advisory group so it can identify where real improvements can be made in cancer services for older people. We are also supporting an initiative which will make sure that patients are better informed about the options available to them and they are fully involved in decisions about their treatment.

Cancer

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the amount of research undertaken into ways to detect the origin of primary cancer in those suffering from cancer of the unknown primary.

Daniel Poulter: Research infrastructure funded by the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is currently hosting the following study:
	A multi-centre phase II trial to assess the efficacy of epirubicin, cisplatin and capecitabine in carcinomas of unknown primary: incorporating the prospective validation of molecular classifiers in diagnosis and classification and exploratory metabonomics.
	Overall NIHR investment in cancer research increased from £102 million in 2009-10 to £133 million in 2012-13. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cancer of unknown primary. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the national health service, value for money and scientific quality.

College of Emergency Medicine

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to meet the Chair of the College of Emergency Medicine.

Jane Ellison: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health is planning to meet with the Chair in the near future, to discuss the health system and emergency medicine. The Chair also met with my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) last week to discuss operational resilience plans for the remainder of this year.

Cystic Fibrosis

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust's report entitled Hope for More: Improving access to lung transplantation and care for people with cystic fibrosis, what assessment he has made of the donor lung utilisation rate for transplantation; and what measures he has identified as having the greatest potential to increase such utilisation.

Jane Ellison: Currently donated lungs are allocated to the designated cardiothoracic transplant centres on a zonal basis. However, the Cardiothoracic Organs Advisory Group (CTAG) have recently reviewed the allocation policy and have recommended that the size of the allocation zones be adjusted to help ensure equity of access. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have therefore confirmed that for cardiothoracic organs, the zones will be reviewed in August 2014 to coincide with changes in liver allocation zones and from August 2015, heart and lung zones will be disaggregated and the zones reviewed separately.
	CTAG have also recommended that NHSBT reviews the consequences of introducing two levels of priority for listing for lung transplants-urgent and routine, and suggest a national allocation scheme for urgent listed patients, and zonal allocation for routine listed patients.
	Any proposed change would need to be validated by NHSBT, who will review the criteria for urgent listing and the statistical modelling of the potential impact of such a system. NHSBT will continue to work closely with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust to improve outcomes for patients requiring lung transplants.

Dental Health: Children

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the trends in the incidence of dental caries among school children (a) in Bolton and (b) nationally since 2010.

Daniel Poulter: There has been only one published survey of dental caries among schoolchildren which includes the Bolton area since 2010. This is the ‘National Dental Epidemiology Programme for England: oral health survey of five-year-old children 2012, A report on the prevalence and severity of dental decay’. This can be found at the following link:
	www.nwph.net/dentalhealth/survey-results5.aspx?id=1
	A comparison of selected findings from the survey, and from the previous survey of five-year-old children in England, published in 2009, the ‘NHS Dental Epidemiology Programme for England, Oral Health Survey of 5 year old Children, 2007/2008’ can be found at the following link:
	www.nwph.info/dentalhealth/survey-results.aspx?id=1
	The comparisons are supplied in the following table:
	
		
			  2008 2012 
			 Bolton local authority area   
			 Number of children examined 298 262 
			 Mean number decayed, missing or filled teeth (dmft) 1.91 1.85 
			 Proportion of children with lifetimes caries experience (% dmft>0) 46.3 43.4 
			    
			 National (England)   
			 Number of children examined 139,727 133,516 
			 Mean number decayed, missing or filled teeth (dmft) 1.11 0.94 
			 Proportion of children with lifetimes caries experience (% dmft>0) 30.9 27.9

Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of trends in issuing of NHS prescriptions for (a) anti-depressants and (b) mindfulness-based interventions for the treatment of repeat episode depression since 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Information on the use of mindfulness-based interventions is not collected centrally. However, the new Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) data set, which is due to come on stream from July 2014, will allow recording of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as an IAPT treatment. The following table provides information on the use of antidepressant medicines:
	
		
			 Number of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England, for medicines classified as anti-depressants in British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.3 Antidepressant drugs, for the calendar years 2008-131 
			  Prescription items (Thousand) 
			 2008 35,960.5 
			 2009 39,140.5 
			 2010 42,788.0 
			 2011 46,677.8 
			 2012 50,167.2 
			 2013 53,326.6 
			 1 Medicines may be used to treat conditions other than the therapeutic classifications defined in the BNF. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services.

Diabetes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects that artificial pancreases for treatment of diabetes will be available through the NHS.

Norman Lamb: There are a number of artificial pancreas device systems and technologies for integrated continuous glucose monitoring in development which could be made available through the national health service once they have gone through the appropriate regulatory process to demonstrate safety and efficacy.

Eyesight: Health Services

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the costs of a patient who presents with eye conditions as a first point of call (a) a GP, (b) a hospital eye service, (c) an accident and emergency department and (d) a primary eye care acute referral scheme.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Estimated unit costs of a patient contact , 2012-13 
			 Type of patient contact Unit cost (£) 
			 General practitioner (GP) consultation1 37 
			 First consultant-led appointment in an ophthalmology out-patient clinic2 108 
			 Accident and emergency attendance3 130 
			 Primary eye care acute referral scheme 4— 
		
	
	
		
			 1 The Department does not collect information on the unit cost of a GP consultation. An estimate of £37 per patient contact lasting 11.7 minutes, including direct care staff costs and excluding qualification costs, is included in page 198 of Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2013 at: www.pssru.ac.uk/project-pages/unit-costs/2013/ The data do not separately identify patients presenting with eye conditions or any other conditions. 2 The average unit cost of first, face-to-face, consultant-led contacts in ophthalmology, medical ophthalmology and paediatric ophthalmology, weighted for activity. The information is from reference costs, which are the unit costs to NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year to NHS patients, collected annually and published by the Department for 2012-13 at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-reference-costs-2012-to-2013 3The average unit of cost of accident and emergency attendances from 2012-13 reference costs. Includes attendances resulting in and not resulting in an admission. Excludes attendances submitted against Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs) for Emergency Medicine, Dental Care (VB10Z) and Emergency Medicine, No Investigation with No Significant Treatment (VB11Z). The data do not separately identify patients presenting with eye conditions or any other conditions. 4 Not known. Sources: 2012/13 reference costs, Department of Health Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2013, Personal Social Services Research Unit.

General Practitioners: Business Premises

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many funding applications were made by GPs for new premises in 2013; and how many of such applications have been approved by NHS England;
	(2)  how many applications for new GP premises of which an increase in rent formed a part NHS England approved in 2013.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has advised that information about the number of funding applications, the number of applications which have been approved and the number of applications which include a rent increase is not held centrally.
	However, NHS England has been collating all applications transferred from predecessor primary care trusts concerning funding for general practitioner (GP) practice premises, after which prioritisation decisions will be made for each of the application categories in the system.
	NHS England is working with clinical commissioning groups, health and wellbeing boards and other partners to develop a new strategy for premises and to support timely decisions on GP premises funding.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that food labels include details of any genetically modified ingredients used in a product's manufacture; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency advises that ‘EC Regulation 1829/2003 on genetically modified food and feed’ requires that food derived from genetically modified (GM) sources must be labelled, regardless of the presence of detectable GM material in the final product or of the quantity of intentionally used GM ingredients. This regulation applies to all food that is marketed in the United Kingdom and in other member states.

Heart Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the time taken to prescribe drugs for heart disease.

Jane Ellison: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has made no recent assessment of the time taken to prescribe drugs for heart disease. All drugs should be prescribed in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Hospital Beds

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds per head of population there were in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information is not collected centrally on the catchment populations served by national health service hospital trusts in order to estimate beds per head of population at this level. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Estimated hospital beds per 1,000 population1, England2 and Suffolk3, 2009-10 to 2013-14 
			  England Suffolk 
			  Beds in wards open overnight Beds in wards open day only Beds in wards open overnight Beds in wards open day only 
			 2009-10 3.04 0.21 1.80 0.19 
			 2010-114, 5 2.71 0.21 1.92 0.15 
			 2011-12 2.61 0.21 1.77 0.14 
			 2012-13 2.56 0.22 1.70 0.14 
			 2013-14 2.53 0.22 1.74 0.15 
			 1 The response uses Office for National Statistics (ONS) resident populations. However, patients may choose any hospital in England that offers NHS services for their first consultant-led out-patient appointment. Their subsequent in-patient treatment may then be in the same hospital. Locally, NHS hospital trusts will estimate the number of patients they expect to treat (the catchment population), but this information is not collected centrally. 2 Data have been provided for England only. Health is a devolved matter in Wales. 3 Data for Suffolk include the number of beds in West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and Ipswich Hospitals NHS Trust. Population data are for the former Suffolk Primary Care Trust for 2009 to 2012, and for the West Suffolk clinical commissioning group (CCG) and Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG. No suitable NHS geography exists for Bury St Edmunds. 4 Bed availability and occupancy data were collected annually before 2010-11. Data have been collected quarterly since 2010-11. Annual figures have been calculated, weighted for the number of days in each quarter. 5 The lower England figure for 2010-11 may reflect a change in the basis of the collection from annual to quarterly. The quarterly data are collected in the month following the end of the quarter, which is timelier and requires less estimation than the previous annual collection. Sources: 1. NHS England, bed availability and occupancy data, 2009-10 to 2013-14 2. ONS national and subnational population estimates, 2009 to 2012 2. ONS 2012-based national and subnational population projections, 2013

Medical Treatments

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has spent on treating (a) anal cancer, (b) penile cancer, (c) cervical cancer, (d) vaginal cancer, (e) vulval cancer, (f) oropharyngeal cancer, (g) genital warts and (h) recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in the last year.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not collect national health service expenditure on treating individual cancers or other diagnoses. It does collect reference costs, which are the average unit costs to NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given year to NHS patients.

Mental Illness

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people with mental health problems in each of the last five years;
	(2)  if he will take steps to make the treatment of mental health a priority within the NHS.

Norman Lamb: We have not estimated the number of people with mental health problems in each of the last five years. The Department has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Leicester to undertake the 2014 Adult Psychological Morbidity Survey. We are also actively developing plans for a new prevalence survey for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. The following tables show the number of people in contact with national health service secondary mental health services for the last five years and referrals to NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Services in 2012-13:
	
		
			 Table 1: People using NHS funded adult and elderly secondary mental health services, 2008-09 to 2012-13 
			 Number 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 England total 1,222,536 1,270,731 1,287,730 1,607,153 1,590,332 
			 Note: Significant changes to local systems and the way Mental Health Minimum Data Set is processed between 2010-11 and 2011-12 (to implement changes to the dataset and the implementation of MHMDS version 4) and the edition of data from Independent Service Providers for the first time that figures for these years are not comparable. Source: Mental Health Bulletin, Annual Report from MHMDS Returns, England-2012-13 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Referrals to NHS funded Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Services1 2012-13 
			 Number 
			  Referrals Received Entering Treatment2 
			 England 883,968 434,247 
			 1 As this is the first year of reporting from the IAPT dataset, only those referrals received in the year are included. Referrals that predate this point are not included in the figures. 2 In order to enter treatment a referral must have a first treatment appointment (an appointment with a therapy type recorded) in the year. Source: Psychological Therapies, Annual Report on the Use of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Services 2012-13. Health and Social Care Information Centre, Community and Mental Health Team. 
		
	
	Mental Health has been a priority for this Government for several years now. We made this commitment explicit in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 which, for the first time, creates equal status for mental and physical health across Government and for the NHS and social care.
	The Ministerial Advisory Group brings together individuals and organisations with a specific interest in the cross government mental health strategy, No Health Without Mental Health, and how it is delivered.
	The Mandate to NHS England 2014-15 makes clear that “everyone who needs it should have timely access to evidence-based services”. This will involve extending and ensuring more open access to programmes, in particular for children and young people, and for those out of work.
	Closing the Gap, our new mental health action plan, which has attracted widespread, cross-sector support, sets out our priorities for essential change in mental health, 25 areas where people can expect to see and experience the fastest changes. The document challenges the health and social care community to move further and faster to transform care and support; the public health community, alongside local government, to give health and wellbeing promotion and prevention the long-overdue attention it needs and deserves; and individuals and communities to shift attitudes in mental health.
	The Department is leading an information revolution around mental health. The new national Mental Health Intelligence Network will draw together comprehensive information about mental health and wellbeing.
	The new Crisis Care Concordat, signed by more than 20 national organisations, is a commitment for all agencies involved in supporting someone in a crisis to work together to improve the system of care and support so people in crisis are kept safe and helped to find the support they need. All the signatories have pledged to work together and our expectation is that, in every locality in England, local partnerships of health, criminal justice and local authority agencies will agree and commit to local Mental Health Crisis Declarations.
	System partners are also taking responsibility for the drive for parity. Public Health England (PHE) has made a commitment to addressing parity of esteem through prioritising mental health and working to embed it throughout all PHE programmes. Greater attention is needed to mental health throughout the public health system and PHE seeks to enable and support this through its leadership and delivery of a Wellbeing and Mental Health programme. It is supporting local authorities and other partners to give greater attention to mental health within the public health system.
	Health Education England is developing training programmes that will enable all healthcare employers to ensure that their staff have a greater awareness of mental health problems and how they may affect their patients. This will include understanding the links between patient’s physical and mental health, so that staff know what actions they can take to ensure that patients receive appropriate support for both their mental and physical health care needs.
	The Department has no plans to repeat the child and adolescent national psychiatric morbidity survey, but is looking at other ways to investigate the prevalence of mental health problems in children and young people.

Out of Area Treatment: Wales

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients resident in England have requested that their treatment be delivered in Wales in the last three years;
	(2)  how many patients resident in England but receiving health care in Wales have requested that their treatment be delivered in England in the last year.

Jane Ellison: This information is not held by the Department.

Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how often the Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group meets per year; and if he will request that it will consider new specialised service applications for alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency at its next meeting;
	(2)  what steps NHS England takes to consider (a) all new specialised service applications and (b) new treatments for alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency; and whether such steps are subject to review by his Department.

Norman Lamb: The Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group (PSSAG) is a Department expert committee which was set up to provide regular advice to Ministers on which services are specialised and should be prescribed in regulations for national commissioning by the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS England). The Group met most recently in May 2014 and may meet up to four times a year.
	Evidence, supporting information and activity on those services currently prescribed in legislation for direct commissioning by NHS England and any new services identified as potentially specialised, are made available to PSSAG from a range of sources, which may include Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs), patient groups, clinicians, commissioners and members of the public. The proposals the group considers are in large part generated by NHS England through its CRGs. The PSSAG makes recommendations to Ministers who, before deciding whether to make regulations, consult with NHS England, as required by section 3B of the National Health Service Act 2006.
	NHS England advises that where it becomes the responsible commissioner for a service, it considers the funding priority of the service through its clinical priorities advisory group and manages a process for selecting providers. Any highly specialised services that become the commissioning responsibility of NHS England will be discussed at its Rare Disease Advisory Group.
	The commissioning of services for people with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency is a matter for individual clinical commissioning groups. We understand the Alpha 1 Alliance is working with NHS England and the Specialised Respiratory Clinical Reference Group to develop a proposal on alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency for a future PSSAG meeting.

Prostate Cancer

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure that patients with prostate cancer receive the highest quality treatment.

Jane Ellison: Newly updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on how best to diagnose and treat prostate cancer will help doctors to ensure that men are given information about the treatment options available and help in choosing the best option to suit them. The updated guidance also aims to reduce the uncertainty and variations in practice that remain in some areas of prostate cancer diagnosis and management.
	Since the original recommendations were published in 2008, a number of new treatments have been licensed for the management of hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate cancer. There is also more information now available on the best way to diagnose and identify the different stages of the disease in a hospital setting, as well as how best to manage the side effects of radical treatment. NHS England would expect providers to take account of best evidence and treatments in their delivery of services.

Prostate Cancer

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations he has received from (a) research bodies and academics, (b) non-governmental organisations and (c) people at high risk for prostate cancer and prostate cancer patients about accessibility of early prostate cancer screenings;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to increase awareness of early screenings for prostate cancer for men at risk.

Jane Ellison: The Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP) Scientific Reference Group (SRG) keeps the evidence on prostate cancer screening under review, and has not yet seen compelling evidence that screening should be offered to high risk groups.
	The PCRMP is in place to ensure that men over 50 without symptoms of prostate cancer can have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test free on the national health service after careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of the test and after a discussion with a general practitioner.
	The patient information sheets on PSA testing make it clear that the risk of prostate cancer is greater for men with a familial history of prostate cancer and black-African and black-Caribbean men.
	The National Cancer Action Team (NCAT) previously highlighted the increased risk of prostate cancer in black men through the ‘Cancer Does Not Discriminate’ campaign, including distributing over 200,000 health supplements and an editorial in The Voice newspaper.
	In 2011, the Department, NCAT, North East London Cancer Network and Prostate Cancer UK worked with NHS Newham and Barts Health Care Trust to pilot the Newham Prostate Health Drop-in Clinic at the Newham African-Caribbean Resource Centre. 322 men had a consultation at the clinic, 59 were referred to secondary care and nine new diagnoses of early stage prostate cancer were made.
	The learning gained from a formal evaluation of the pilot was shared widely with stakeholders within London and across England, including NHS England. The pilot won the 2013 Civil Service Diversity and Equality Award for Understanding and Engaging with Communities.
	The Department is represented on the multi-disciplinary PCRMP SRG and the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group, along with representatives from clinicians, professional bodies, academics, the voluntary sector and patient groups.

JUSTICE

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of failure to return a completed abortion notification form in each of the last five years.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, not all offences are individually reported within the centrally held data. It is not possible to separately identify from this centrally held information convictions resulting from failure to return a completed abortion notification form. This information may be held by the individual courts in England and Wales and as such it can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he obtained clearance from the European Commission for his Department to retain a golden share in each community rehabilitation company.

Jeremy Wright: On 19 September last year the Government launched the competition to find the future owners of the community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) who will deliver rehabilitation services in England and Wales. The European Commission does not operate a process whereby member states are required to seek clearance in order to retain special shares in a company, and instead the onus is on individual states to ensure they are operating in accordance with the law. The Department is satisfied that it is in full compliance with European law on retaining a special share within each of the new CRCs. The Transforming Rehabilitation competition will continue through 2014 with contracts being awarded and mobilised by 2015.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will place a limit on the number of the community rehabilitation companies that a single external provider may control; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects to transfer (a) the first and (b) the last community rehabilitation company to an external provider.

Jeremy Wright: The Transforming Rehabilitation programme is opening up the market to a diverse range of new providers, so that we can harness the best that the private and voluntary sectors has to offer to reduce reoffending. In mid December 2013, the bidders who passed the first stage of the competition to bid for the rehabilitation contracts were announced. The list includes a mix of private and voluntary sector partnerships with more than 50 organisations represented. We expect to announce the winners of these contracts by the end of 2014 and are committed to the roll out of payment by results by 2015.
	The Government have been clear that we want to see a diverse market delivering probation services, rather than being dominated by just a few providers. We have set a market share restriction whereby bidders can win a maximum of 25% of market share based on the indicative contract values set out in the competition documentation. Bidders will be allowed to win multiple contracts up to the point at which their market share cap would be breached subject to meeting any other requirements set out by the authority.

Driving Offences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) males and (b) females of what age group and in which police force area found guilty of an offence under section 14(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 opted to attend a driving safety course paid for by the offender that includes instruction on the benefits of wearing seat belts in lieu of a fine in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, not all offences are individually reported within the centrally held data. Data for offences under Section 14 (3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 are reported as part of a miscellaneous group of offences, and it is not possible to separately identify prosecutions for these specific offences from other offences under the Act. Nor does centrally held data indicate the number of offenders who opted to attend a driving safety course. This information may be held by the individual courts in England and Wales and as such it can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Driving Offences: Insurance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many instances of car insurance fraud in Yorkshire and the Humber have been reported in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: holding answer 9 June 2014
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	This information is not held centrally.

Driving Offences: Insurance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many instances of car insurance fraud have been reported in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: holding answer 9 June 2014
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	This information is not held centrally.

Driving Offences: Insurance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of car insurance fraud have been reported, by region, in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: holding answer 10 June 2014
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	This information is not held centrally.

Driving under Influence

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to receive the Sentencing Council's review of sentencing guidelines for death by drink-driving; and what discussions he has had with that body on its progress on that programme of work.

Jeremy Wright: The Government announced on 12 May that we intend to carry out a review of the offences and penalties available for a range of driving offences, including causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs. Any changes to the law arising from this review will need to be considered by the independent Sentencing Council when setting new guidelines. For that reason the Sentencing Council has decided to suspend its consideration of driving offence guidelines until after the conclusion of the Government review.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that index since 2010.

Damian Green: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is measuring National Wellbeing, not as an index but through a framework of 41 indicators which capture social progress around important aspects of life for individuals, communities and the nation. The statistics are experimental and as such we should not expect to have examples of major policies that have been heavily influenced by the well-being data at this stage.
	Evidence provided to the Environmental Audit Committee for its Inquiry into Wellbeing can be found at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/well-being/
	Most of our policies are targeted at specific groups in society—users of the justice system—so national measures are not necessarily useful indicators. Nonetheless public interest is at the forefront of all our policy development, and therefore is often designed to improve aspects of well-being. For example, we have a major programme of reform that we are implementing to transform the way we rehabilitate offenders. These important reforms mean that we are turning around the lives of offenders, delivering value for the taxpayer while protecting victims and making our communities safer.
	We have also made reforms to the family justice system focusing primarily on promoting the well-being of children and supporting separating parents. Many of these reforms were enshrined in the Children and Families Act 2014.
	Finally, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, for which the Ministry of Justice has responsibility, feeds into the well-being recommendations relating to mental health, treating citizens with respect and enabling greater empowerment.

Judges: Conflict of Interests

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of a judge recusing themselves there were in each of the last four years; and what the reasons were for each recusal.

Shailesh Vara: Incidents of judges recusing themselves will only be held on individual court files and are not held on any central database. This question could, therefore, be answered only by manually checking every court file log at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid Scheme

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much public interest lawyers have received in legal aid for cases against the Department for Work and Pensions in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how much public interest lawyers have received in legal aid for cases against the Ministry of Defence in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how much public interest lawyers have received in legal aid for cases against the Home Office in each of the last 10 years;
	(4)  how many cases against the Department for Work and Pensions were funded by legal aid in each of the last 10 years;
	(5)  how many cases against the Ministry of Defence were funded by legal aid in each of the last 10 years;
	(6)  how many cases against the Home Office were funded by legal aid in each of the last 10 years.

Shailesh Vara: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) cannot separately identify legal aid cases against the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office. Opponents are not systematically recorded against Legal Aid cases.
	The net payments to Public Interest Lawyers over the past 10 years were:
	
		
			 Financial year Net Payments (£) 
			 2003-04 139,620.72 
			 2004-05 158,282.52 
			 2005-06 251,844.27 
			 2006-07 299,667.99 
			 2007-08 577,263.60 
			 2008-09 628,527.75 
			 2009-10 267,433.88 
			 2010-11 439,268.02 
			 2011-12 331,238.85 
			 2012-13 50,633.27 
		
	
	These payments cover all work undertaken by the firm under legal aid. The payments made will be offset by recoupment on successful cases where the opponent has paid the costs.

Prerogative of Mercy

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will list the people who have received the Royal Prerogative of Mercy by Letters Patent in the last 20 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether there has been any occasion when the exercise of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy has been granted by way of Letters Close (Litterae Clausae); and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether the (a) Crown Office and (b) Office of the Lord President of the Council maintains a list of all Letters Patent issued in the last 20 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance notes used in his Department and in the Office of the Lord President of the Council regarding the wording, drafting, formatting, production, approval and processing of Letters Patent.

Damian Green: There has been no one who has received a pardon within England and Wales by Letters Patent in the last 20 years. Neither have any Letters Close (or Litterae Clausae) been issued by the Crown Office during the last 25 years.
	Letters Patent all pass under the Great Seal of the Realm and an entry for each is made in the Crown Office Docquet Book (a record which is designated for permanent preservation). A Patent Roll which sets out the text of the Letters Patent is also maintained by the Crown Office. The Patent Roll entries are sent annually to the National Archives for permanent preservation.
	With regard to the final question, the wording, drafting, formatting, production, approval and processing of Letters Patent is governed by:
	The Crown Office Act 1877;
	The Great Seal Act 1884;
	The Crown Office (Forms and Proclamations Rules) Order 1992 (SI 1992 No. 1730) as amended; and
	The Crown Office (Preparation and Authentication of Documents Rules) Order 1988 (SI 1988 No. 1162).
	An exercise of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy is currently effected by means of Warrant under the Royal Sign Manual. A record is maintained of all such Warrants granted since the Lord Chancellor assumed responsibility for this remit from the Home Secretary and these records are transferred to the National Archives from time to time.

Prison Sentences: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many custodial sentences were handed down at (a) York Magistrates Court and (b) York Crown Court in each year since 2008.

Jeremy Wright: Sentencing is entirely a matter for the courts, taking account of all the circumstances of each case.
	Since 2010, crime has continued to fall and fewer individuals are entering the criminal justice system for the first time. Defendants are now more likely to be convicted for committing crime and sent to prison for longer than they were a decade ago. In addition, criminals convicted since 2010 are more likely to receive an immediate custodial sentence, both overall and for a first time offence.
	The number of offenders given a custodial sentence at (a) York magistrates court and (b) York Crown court each year from 2008 to 2013 can be viewed in the table.
	
		
			 The number of persons sentenced to custodial sentenced to a custodial sentence at York magistrates courts1 and York Crown court2 from 2008 to 20133, 4 
			  Magistrates courts Crown court 
			 2008 188 351 
			 2009 249 440 
			 2010 259 372 
			 2011 255 441 
			 2012 257 360 
			 2013 211 335 
			 1 Includes magistrates courts falling with the York and Selby Local Justice Area (LJA). As of 1 January 2012 Selby LJA and York LJA merged to into York and Selby LJA. 2 Figures specific to York Crown court. 3 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 4 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners: Romania

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Romanian-born prisoners are being held in British prisons.

Jeremy Wright: On 31 March 2014 there were 588 prisoners in England and Wales who declared they were Romanian on reception to prison.
	All foreign national offenders sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.
	Romania has implemented the EU Prisoner Transfer Arrangement and relevant cases have been referred to the Home Office to obtain deportation orders.
	The Prisoner Transfer process is just one mechanism for removing Foreign National Offenders. The number of FNOs deported under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) has increased under this Government. In 2013, we removed nearly 2,000 FNOs under ERS and under the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS), which we introduced in May 2012, we have removed over 240 FNOs to date.
	Whereas this Government have begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.

Probation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many private and third sector bidders for privatised probation work employ ex-offenders; and of these how many employ ex-prisoners.

Jeremy Wright: In mid December, the bidders who passed the first stage of the competition to win the regional rehabilitation contracts were announced. The list includes a diverse mix of private and voluntary sector partnerships with more than 50 organisations represented—from charities experienced in tackling a range of issues affecting offenders, to small and large British businesses and experienced multinationals. All of these Tier One bidders have experience in working with offenders or across the wider Criminal Justice System.
	The successful delivery of this competition does not depend on or require the Programme to hold information on how many private and third sector organisations bidding for Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) contracts employ ex-offenders or ex-prisoners. Such information would be included in bidder’s submissions if it was deemed relevant by that bidder. We have a strong and diverse market and anticipate that the bids we receive to run CRCs will be of a high standard. Providers will need to demonstrate in their bids how they would deliver high quality rehabilitative support to offenders, and they will be held to account to deliver these services in their contracts.

Probation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what his policy is on the role of local authorities in the commissioning of probation services within their areas; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his policy is on the role of police and crime commissioners in the commissioning of probation services within their force areas; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The Offender Management Act 2007 places the responsibility for the provision of probation services on the Secretary of State for Justice. Under the Act, the Secretary of State may make contractual or other arrangements with any other person for the making of the probation provision. The process of commissioning probation services will be informed by engagement with co-commissioning partners including, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and local authorities. Contracts will be responsive to changing demands and priorities at local and national levels.
	During the Transforming Rehabilitation programme, we have undertaken extensive engagement at a national and local level with PCCs and local authorities. As part of this process, we have established a national PCC Reference Group and a Local Authority Reference Group which have proved to be useful forums to engage with those PCCs and local authorities which are most interested in our reforms and enabled them to scrutinise the commissioning and delivery of the programme. PCCs and local authorities, together with other key local stakeholders have also been able to provide structured advice on what works locally via the creation of competition local advisory panels.
	No organisations are prohibited from bidding in the competition. However, to bid successfully to own and run Community Rehabilitation Companies, they will need to meet the criteria we set, which will include the ability to take on the necessary financial risk under our proposed payment by results mechanism.

Probation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the Transforming Rehabilitation programme risk register.

Jeremy Wright: The Transforming Rehabilitation Programme's risk register is a live document which the Department maintains to actively monitor all risks to the successful delivery of the programme. It is good Government practice to challenge proposals robustly internally and we need to maintain a mechanism to do this to ensure we implement these reforms to the highest standard. It is firmly in the public interest that this process is not inhibited. For this reason there are no plans to publish the risk register.

Probation

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many probation officers his Department plans to recruit in the next 12 months; in which countries those posts will be advertised; and what his Department's budget for that advertising is.

Jeremy Wright: A campaign is in progress to recruit graduates to train as probation officers. It is being advertised on United Kingdom websites only and will be tailored to the overall staffing needs across probation. Funding for the advertising campaign is found from within the overall budget, but does not form a separate budget item.

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many unfilled vacancies there were in (a) the National Probation Service and (b) each community rehabilitation company on 1 May 2014.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not held centrally. The National Probation Service and the Community Rehabilitation Companies did not exist on 1 May 2014, having come into existence on 1 June 2014. Prior to their existence, vacancies were managed locally by Probation Trusts, which have now ceased to exist.

Probation Trusts

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when he intends to formally abolish probation trusts;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of morale within the National Offender Management Service; and what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of morale of the Transforming Rehabilitation programme.

Jeremy Wright: Probation Trusts ceased operating at the end of 31 May 2014. The majority of offenders are now being supervised by staff working in 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies while high risk offenders and those who have committed the most serious offences are being supervised by the National Probation Service. The new structure was tested thoroughly prior to the transition, with staff and cases beginning transfer into the new structure prior to formal transition on 1 June. Formal dissolution of the Probation Trusts will take place following audit of their 2014/15 accounts in the autumn of 2014.
	The leadership of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) remain committed to maintaining morale through the effective leadership of change and continued positive engagement across the organisation. Throughout this significant change programme regular communication has been provided across NOMS to keep people informed about the reforms. We understand the challenges large scale reforms such as this can pose, and we are working closely with probation staff to make sure they can raise any issues quickly. Probation staff at all levels are working hard to implement these vital reforms on the ground and we will continue to support them throughout this process.

Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the level of sickness absence was at the Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust in (a) April 2014 and (b) May 2014;
	(2)  what the level of sickness absence was at the Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust in each month since January 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The information in the following table details the levels of sickness absence for Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust since January 2012 to March 2014 (the most recent date for published staffing data on probation trusts).
	The monthly figures in the latest year were broadly consistent with the monthly averages over the past five years.
	
		
			 Surrey and Sussex:Sickness absence levels 
			 Month and year Average working days lost 
			 January 2012 10.05 
			 February 2012 8.13 
			 March 2012 8.30 
			 April 2012 6.74 
			 May 2012 8.83 
			 June 2012 8.53 
			 July 2012 11.82 
			 August 2012 9.16 
			 September 2012 6.98 
			 October 2012 10.46 
			 November 2012 11.79 
			 December 2012 7.69 
			 January 2013 10.57 
			 February 2013 10.24 
			 March 2013 8.97 
			 April 2013 8.67 
			 May 2013 8.12 
			 June 2013 5.96 
			 July 2013 8.55 
			 August 2013 8.70 
			 September 2013 8.52 
			 October 2013 7.56 
			 November 2013 11.06 
			 December 2013 10.57 
			 January 2014 8.05 
			 February 2014 5.94 
			 March 2014 5.64 
		
	
	As the figures presented above are annualised monthly figures, seasonality trends will be present.

Young Offenders

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persistent young offenders were registered in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years; and how many and what proportion of total offences were attributable to such offenders in that period.

Jeremy Wright: The prevention of reoffending by young people is a key priority for this Government. Overall crime and proven offending by young people is down, and fewer young people are entering the criminal justice system. But for those young people that are committing crimes it is right that the most serious or persistent are sentenced to custody, and those that commit violent offences face tough sentences.
	It is unacceptable however that nearly three-quarters of young offenders who leave custody go on to reoffend—this needs to change. That is why we are doubling the amount of education we give those in young offenders institutions and why we are reforming the youth estate with the introduction of secure colleges. These new establishments will tackle the root cause of offending by giving people the skills and self-discipline to gain employment and training upon release and turn their lives around. We announced on 8 June the name of the company selected to design and build the pathfinder.
	Table 1 shows the number of young offenders by their previous criminal history for young offenders cautioned or sentenced (a) by Suffolk police force area; and (b) across England and Wales. There is no national definition of a persistent offender, with Local Criminal Justice Boards setting criteria locally to identify persistent offenders based on their volume of crime and impact on their local community. The table therefore shows offenders with one or more previous cautions or sentencing occasions. The Police National Computer (PNC) does not break down information below police force area; it is not therefore possible to provide data specific only to Bury St Edmunds. Due to variations in local definitions of “persistent”, it is not possible to determine the proportion of overall offences committed by “persistent” offenders in any of the geographical areas specified.
	These figures are based on counting the number of separate occasions on which offenders were cautioned or sentenced in each year and some offenders will therefore be represented several times in the figures. They are based only on those offences recorded on the PNC by an English or Welsh police force, including the British Transport police. The figures therefore exclude a range of low-level (non-recordable) summary offences committed by these offenders eg TV licence evasion and speeding as these are not recorded on the PNC. As with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of juvenile offenders cautioned or sentenced for recordable offences, by their previous criminal history, 2009-13 
			 Suffolk police force area 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Number of previous convictions/cautions No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 
			 0 999 45 503 37 512 42 417 43 307 39 
			 1-2 660 30 426 31 387 32 293 30 273 34 
			 3-6 363 16 296 22 226 18 185 19 148 19 
			 7-10 123 6 80 6 57 5 50 5 43 5 
			 11-14 44 2 32 2 25 2 16 2 8 1 
			 15+ 42 2 33 2 15 1 6 1 14 2 
			 Juvenile offenders 2,231 100 1,370 100 1,222 100 967 100 793 100 
		
	
	
		
			 England and Wales 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Number of previous convictions/cautions No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 
			 0 67,650 43 49,092 39 38,832 38 29,737 39 23,165 39 
			 1-2 49,079 31 39,071 31 31,497 31 23,226 30 18,139 30 
			 3-6 27,027 17 23,725 19 19,853 20 14,682 19 11,773 20 
			 7-10 8,264 5 7,380 6 6,206 6 4,758 6 3,702 6 
			 11-14 3,534 2 3,166 3 2,686 3 1,973 3 1,569 3 
			 15+ 2,551 2 2,465 2 2,348 2 1,784 2 1,341 2 
			 Juvenile offenders 158,105 100 124,899 100 101,422 100 76,160 100 59,689 100

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to ensure that the outcome of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict reflects the wide range of people affected by such violence.

Mark Simmonds: The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict will turn the political commitments made in the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict into practical action and bring real change to those affected by this crime. We have consulted widely with experts, practitioners and international partners since the launch of the Preventing Sexual Violence initiative in 2012, including on the outcomes of the summit. Over 1,500 delegates will attend, including legal, military and judicial practitioners, representatives from multilateral organisations, and over 100 NGOs and grassroots organisations. The summit is an opportunity for Governments from countries around the world to hear directly from those affected what action needs to be taken to tackle this issue effectively.

Balkans

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support people affected by recent flooding in the Balkans

David Lidington: I discussed the impact of the floods with Prime Minister Vucic of Serbia in Belgrade on 2 June and with Prime Minister Bevanda in Sarajevo on 3 June. During my visit to the region I also met the and Serbian Red Cross and travelled to Maglaj in Bosnia and Herzegovina to meet the mayor and representatives of World Vision.
	In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), between 18 and 23 May a 33-person water rescue team from the British Fire Service was deployed to work alongside EUFOR Operation Althea and local rescue efforts. They rescued nearly 200 people, delivered large amounts of humanitarian aid, and helped restore power in villages north of Bijeljina.
	In Serbia, the UK provided 64 radios for the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, to assist with the co-ordination of its response teams; and donated £280,000 worth of heavy lift and transport vehicles to the Serbian Red Cross to aid its relief distribution effort.
	A team from the UK flew out to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the week commencing 20 May to assess likely humanitarian and recovery needs. During my visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina I was able to announce that the UK had approved £250,000 to support a World Vision flood response project in the region, focusing on sanitation and health and providing support for 140,000 people made homeless by the floods.
	In addition to this bilateral support, the UK provided support to BiH, Serbia and Croatia through the EU, UN and other international organisations. In BiH, EUFOR Operation Althea, to which the UK contributes troops in theatre and in reserve, assisted the BiH armed forces in its response to the flooding. The First Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which provides part of EUFOR’s intermediate reserve, and is in BiH for a routine operational rehearsal, will assist the BiH armed forces in this regard.
	The UK has worked closely with the EU European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), and offered advice and assistance during all phases of the flood response effort. ECHO has released €3.2 million in humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable population in BiH and in Serbia (to which the UK will have contributed 15%).
	The Government will work closely with the UNDP, the EU and other international organisations to assess what further help might be given to help both Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina recover from the impact of the floods.

Balkans

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid the Government have provided for the relief of flooding and landslides in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.

David Lidington: I discussed the impact of the floods with Prime Minister Vucic of Serbia in Belgrade on 2 June and with Prime Minister Bevanda in Sarajevo on 3 June. During my visit to the region I also met the Serbian Red Cross and travelled to Maglaj in Bosnia and Herzegovina to meet the mayor and representatives of World Vision.
	In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), between 18 and 23 May a 33-person water rescue team from the British Fire Service was deployed to work alongside EUFOR Operation Althea and local rescue efforts. They rescued nearly 200 people, delivered large amounts of humanitarian aid, and helped restore power in villages north of Bijeljina.
	In Serbia, the UK provided 64 radios for the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, to assist with the co-ordination of its response teams; and donated £280,000 worth of heavy lift and transport vehicles to the Serbian Red Cross to aid its relief distribution effort.
	A team from the UK flew out to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the week commencing 20 May to assess likely humanitarian and recovery needs. During my visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina I was able to announce that the UK had approved £250,000 to support a World Vision flood response project in the region, focussing on sanitation and health and providing support for 140,000 people made homeless by the floods.
	In addition to this bilateral support, the UK provided support to BiH, Serbia and Croatia through the EU, UN and other international organisations. In BiH, EUFOR Operation Althea, to which the UK contributes troops in theatre and in reserve, assisted the BiH armed forces in their response to the flooding. The First Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which provides part of EUFOR's intermediate reserve, and is in BiH for a routine operational rehearsal, will assist the BiH armed forces in this regard.
	The UK has worked closely with the EU European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), and offered advice and assistance during all phases of the flood response effort. ECHO has released €3.2 million in humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable population in BiH and in Serbia (to which the UK will have contributed 15%).
	The Government will work closely with the UNDP, the EU and other international organisations to assess what further help might be given to help both Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina recover from the impact of the floods.

Cyprus

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on allegations that some Turkish Cypriots were denied the right to vote in the recent European elections in the Republic of Cyprus.

David Lidington: We are aware of difficulties experienced by some eligible Turkish Cypriots in the recent European elections in the Republic of Cyprus.
	The enfranchisement of eligible Turkish Cypriots in those elections was a positive step towards building confidence between the two communities. It is unfortunate that some Turkish Cypriots then found that they could not vote on the day due to problems in the registration procedure.
	Although these problems led to understandable frustrations on polling day, we do not believe that they were due to a deliberate obstruction by the Republic of Cyprus authorities. Indeed, some 58,000 Turkish Cypriots were registered and able to vote.
	Ultimately, Turkish Cypriots' access to the full rights of EU membership, including participation in European elections, will best be achieved through a comprehensive settlement. We continue to fully support the leaders of the Cypriot communities in their goal of achieving this.

Horn of Africa

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of EUCAP Nestor in tackling insecurity in the Horn of Africa.

Hugh Robertson: EUCAP Nestor can play an important role in building stability in Somalia and the region but further work needs to be done to enhance delivery and realise its potential.
	The UK has focused on addressing issues to ensure that Nestor increases operations inside Somalia, and delivers against measurable and meaningful objectives.
	These measures should increase the prospects of Nestor performing more effectively in the future. Good progress has been made in recent months towards establishing a presence in Somalia, which will increase the efficacy of the mission by providing a base for capacity-building activities and by enhancing access to local actors. Nestor now has an office in Hargeisa (Somaliland), and also operates in Bosaso on the northern coast of Somalia. We will continue to track progress closely.

India

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make representations to the new Indian Government to reopen investigations on the events in 1984 at the Golden Temple in Amritsar; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will support an international inquiry into the events at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.

Hugo Swire: This is a matter between the Sikh community and Government of India. The purpose of the Cabinet Secretary's recent investigation and report on the Indian operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar in 1984 was to establish the extent of UK Government involvement in the Indian Government's plans for military operations, not the operation itself, or the actions of the Indian Government.

India

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss sexual violence against women in India with his Indian counterpart.

Hugo Swire: We are committed to working with the Government of India and international partners to address the problem of gender-based violence, human trafficking and child exploitation in India. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has invited the Government of India to attend the End Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit and has already discussed the initiative with the new Indian Foreign Minister.

Libya

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much (a) military and (b) humanitarian aid the UK provided to the Libyan Government in (A) 2011, (B) 2012 and (C) 2013.

Hugh Robertson: Owing to our accounting structures we are only able to provide exact spending figures for financial years rather than calendar years. In this time, the UK has provided military aid to Libya in the form of the defence portion of the tri-departmental (MOD, FCO, DFID) conflict pool, and core defence funding for defence engagement activity. This has been:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 3,000 
			 2011-12 200,000 
			 2012-13 2,173,000 
			 2013-14 3,521,000 
		
	
	This has formed part of a total of over £25 million stabilisation assistance to the Libyan Government through the Arab partnership and conflict pool programme during the period 2011-13.
	During the period 2011-13 the UK provided humanitarian aid to Libya for protection of civilians, assistance for survival and effective international humanitarian co-ordination, especially through the UN, broken down as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2011-12 7,843,227.40 
			 2012-13 304,100.37 
			 2013-14 0 
		
	
	The UK no longer provides this type of humanitarian aid to Libya but instead is providing technical support for security, justice and rule of law capacity building, through the Arab partnership and conflict pool.

North Korea

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote human rights in North Korea.

Hugo Swire: The UK is deeply concerned by reports of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), as I made clear in my written ministerial statement following the publication of the UN commission of inquiry report into these violations. I have called publicly on the DPRK to take immediate steps to close political prison camps, to act on the commission’s recommendations and to give full and unimpeded access to the Office of the United Nations High commissioner for Human Rights and other relevant parts of the UN. I also made clear the UK’s commitment to ensuring the commission’s findings were a beginning and not an end.
	Reflecting this commitment, the UK played an active role in ensuring a strong DPRK resolution at the March UN Human Rights Council. I lobbied personally on this issue during my visit to Geneva at the beginning of the Council. Since the resolution was passed we have continued to engage, supporting an informal briefing of the UN Security Council and pressing the DPRK during its recent universal periodic review to respond to the commission of inquiry’s findings. In May, I met US Special Envoy on DPRK Human Rights, Robert King, to discuss next steps, and during a visit to Geneva next week I will have further discussions with Ambassador King and others.

Property: Ownership

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to European governments to secure as quickly as possible restitution for British citizens who had assets seized by the Nazis.

David Lidington: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 689W. Since January, the British Government have engaged at ministerial or official level with the Germans, Poles and Russians on restitution and looted art.

Raoul Wallenberg

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how he plans to mark the 70th anniversary of Raoul Wallenberg's arrival in Hungary; what recent discussions he has had with the Government of (a) Sweden and (b) Hungary on this anniversary; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Government are committed to ensuring that the UK continues to play a leading international role in Holocaust education, remembrance and research. This includes recalling and paying tribute to the bravery, and often sacrifices, of individuals such as Raoul Wallenberg—which includes a monument of him outside our embassy in Budapest. There are no current plans to mark the anniversary of his arrival in Budapest, nor have there been specific discussions with the Swedish or Hungarian Governments on the anniversary. However, we remain committed, including in our role as current chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, to working with the Hungarian Government to help them strengthen international co-operation to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten. Hungary is currently observing a Holocaust Memorial Year, concluding a programme of remembrance which began in 2012 with a commemoration of Raoul Wallenberg

Sudan

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to raise the plight of persecuted Christians abroad; and what steps he is taking to raise the case of Meriam Ibrahim with his Sudanese counterpart.

Mark Simmonds: I am appalled at the death sentence given to Meriam Ibrahim, and her continued imprisonment. Immediately following her trial, I issued a statement describing her conviction as barbaric and calling upon the Government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion or belief and international human rights laws as enshrined in its own constitution. The chargé d’affaires of the Sudanese embassy in London was summoned to the Foreign Office on 19 May at the request of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). The Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), reiterated our demand to the Sudanese Foreign Minister when she met him on 20 May. Our embassy in Khartoum, which attended her trial, continues to press the Sudanese authorities for Meriam Ibrahim's release, and is in close contact with the defence team.
	This is a priority human rights area for us. We speak out regularly against violence perpetrated against Christians. The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi), gave a speech in Washington in November last year on the need for unity in confronting the intolerance and sectarianism that leads to minority communities being persecuted. We also lobby for changes in discriminatory laws and practices that affect religious minorities, including Christians, and support UN resolutions on the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.

Syria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK has taken to support UN Security Council resolution 2139 regarding humanitarian access in Syria.

Hugh Robertson: The UK played a leading role in ensuring the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2139 on 22 February. Since then, we have regularly echoed the UN Security Council's demand that all parties to the conflict, in particular the Syrian authorities, implement fully the requirements of UNSCR 2139. We welcome the National Coalition's commitment to implementing UNSCR 2139 and have encouraged those with influence on the parties to urge them to implement the demands of the resolution. The UK is working closely with P5 colleagues and others in New York on a draft resolution in response to the UN Secretary-General's call for the UNSC to act decisively to address the worsening humanitarian situation.

Transcaucasus

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in the south Caucasus.

David Lidington: The south Caucasus region, while currently relatively stable, is home to three unresolved conflicts and continued internal and external political tensions. As a result, the risk of renewed instability remains real.
	In Georgia, the UK supports the work of the EU Monitoring Mission; it continues to play a valuable role in helping to reduce tensions along the boundary lines of the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. However, we remain concerned about “borderisation” along the administrative boundary lines of the breakaway regions which only serves to exacerbate tensions in the area. The recent change of power in Abkhazia is concerning, but we are relieved that events have unfolded peacefully. We hope the acting de facto authorities respect the rights of all people in Abkhazia, in particular ethnic Georgians living in the Gali region.
	The UK is also concerned by ongoing ceasefire breaches between forces along both the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenia-Azerbaijan borders. It is disappointing that as we pass the 20th anniversary of the 1994 ceasefire agreement between the conflicting parties, a sustainable, agreed settlement is still not within reach. The UK supports the work of the OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-Chairs in their attempts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict and introduce confidence-building measures which will help de-escalate tensions.
	The UK remains committed to conflict resolution work in the south Caucasus. This financial year, the conflict pool has allocated £3 million to projects in the south Caucasus that will build capacity of local communities to prevent and resolve conflicts.

Uganda

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in working with the Commonwealth Secretary-General to review LGBT rights in Uganda.

Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), wrote to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth on 1 March to ask him to work with us to review the worrying trend on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the Commonwealth. We welcomed the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s statement to the high level segment of the Human Rights Council on 6 March, reiterating the Commonwealth’s commitment to equality and respect for the protection and promotion of rights without discrimination on any grounds. While we support the work of the Secretariat in strengthening the capacity of national human rights institutions to engage their respective Governments on sensitive areas such as LGBT rights, we continue to encourage the Commonwealth to do more to address LGBT rights across the Commonwealth, and in particular Uganda.

USA

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  with reference to the advice provided by Jemima Stratford QC to the all-party parliamentary group on drones, if he will agree a new memorandum of understanding or other bilateral agreement with the US on data transfer and use; [R]
	(2)  with reference to the advice provided by Jemima Stratford QC to the all-party parliamentary group on drones, if his Department will take steps to prevent any unlawful practice by GCHQ; [R]
	(3)  whether his Department has made an assessment of the advice of Jemima Stratford QC to the all party parliamentary group on drones; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The UK intelligence agencies work in accordance with UK law, as described by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), in his statement to the House on 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 31. In addition, section 6 of the recently published annual report for 2013 by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, Sir Anthony May, addresses the legal basis for intelligence sharing between the UK and its partners.
	The UK intelligence agencies adhere to the law at all times. We have one of the world's strongest legal and regulatory frameworks governing the use of secret intelligence. All GCHQ's activities are legal, necessary and proportionate. GCHQ does not disclose or share information other than is appropriate under the Intelligence Services Act 1994 and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

West Africa

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the outbreak of the ebola virus in western Africa.

Mark Simmonds: We continue to monitor the ebola outbreak in west Africa closely. As of 6 June there had been over 220 confirmed cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
	International health agencies are providing support to affected countries. There is no specific vaccine or anti-viral drug available, so the priority is to contain the outbreak by limiting human-to-human transmission by early identification and care for those affected.
	We are keeping our travel advice for British nationals under regular review and in line with WHO guidance. There have been no reports of British citizens being infected and there have been no known imported cases of ebola in the UK to date.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts relate to (a) existing employees of the organisation concerned and (b) new employees in the 2012-13 academic year.

Matthew Hancock: Information collected centrally through the individualised learner record does not identify whether an individual who started an apprenticeship in the 2012-13 academic year was an existing employee or a new employee.

Bankruptcy

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bankruptcies were registered in (a) York, (b) Yorkshire and (c) England in each year since 2005.

Jennifer Willott: Figures for the number of bankruptcy orders in York, Yorkshire and Humber, and England in each year since 2005 can be found in the following table. Bankruptcy applies to individuals only; regional breakdowns for the number of company insolvencies are not currently available.
	The Insolvency Service compiles its regional bankruptcy order statistics on a calendar year basis, therefore financial year totals are not available. Figures for 2013 will be available on the Insolvency Service website from 10 July 2014, alongside figures for other individual insolvency procedures (individual voluntary arrangements, and debt relief orders).
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of bankruptcy orders in each region of England, 2005-121 
			 Number 
			  York Yorkshire and Humber England 
			 2005 134 4,272 43,103 
			 2006 214 5,812 57,576 
			 2007 185 5,957 59,245 
			 2008 198 6,660 62,001 
			 2009 236 7,231 68,498 
			 2010 170 5,929 53,064 
			 2011 130 4,317 38,341 
			 2012 84 3,295 29,393 
			 1 Where individual has provided postcode. 
		
	
	It should be noted that these figures do not account for any changes in the base population over time. Using the rate of bankruptcies per 10,000 adults allows for a like-for-like comparison across years.
	Headline figures for insolvencies in England and Wales can be found in the quarterly ‘Insolvency Statistics’ release, a National Statistics publication. Figures for January to March 2014 were published on 29 April 2014, and can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/insolvency-statistics-january-to-march-2014
	Annual numbers and rates of bankruptcies by region for 2000-12 are available in the ‘Individual Insolvencies by Region’ publication, which can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/insolvency-statistics-individual-insolvencies-by-region

Construction: China

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what benefits he expects to accrue to the UK economy from the agreement signed in China on 26 May 2014 between the Building Research Establishment and the Shenzhen Municipal Government to set up a training and research and development centre on sustainable building construction in China.

Michael Fallon: On 26 May 2014, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) signed an agreement with the Shenzhen Municipal Government to set up a training and R&D centre in China's fastest growing city.
	The centre in Shenzhen will deliver training on a national scale to other cities and promote its services, including certifying buildings to green construction standards.
	BRE aims to certify over 1,000 buildings across China to its standards, which will generate £10 million income and could create up to £200 million of work for UK supply chain companies.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what impact assessments he carried out on proposals to change disabled students' allowances.

David Willetts: The proposed changes to disabled students' allowances will be subject to an equality analysis, which will consider their impact in relation to protected characteristics. Extensive discussions are under way with a wide range of stakeholders to help inform this.
	I will consider a final version of the equality analysis before any final decisions are made and regulations are laid before the House.

Exports: Licensing

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many standard individual export licences were finalised in 2013; and what proportion of those licences were finalised within (a) 20 and (b) 60 working days.

Michael Fallon: 13,578 standard individual export licences (SIELs) were granted in 2013 and 148 applications for SIELs were refused. 77.8% of these licences were finalised in 20 working days and 97.8% were finalised in 60 working days.

Exports: Licensing

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of export licence appeals were finalised within (a) 20 and (b) 60 working days in 2013.

Michael Fallon: In 2013 four out of 56 (7%) appeals cases were finalised within 20 working days and 22 out of 56 (39%) were finalised within 60 working days.
	Officials continue to review procedures to streamline the handling of appeals, including additional resources and revised arrangements for consulting Ministers and advisers in other Government Departments. We expect an improvement in performance during 2014.

Exports: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber were exporting to (a) the EU and (b) all countries in each year since 2008.

Michael Fallon: The number of businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber exporting goods to the EU and all countries in each year since 2008 is given in the following table. The data are sourced from HMRC's Regional Trade Statistics database and cover trade in goods only. A count of services exporters by region is not available.
	
		
			 Number of businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber exporting goods to 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 EU 1,731 1,664 1,698 1,733 1,743 1,683 
			 Non-EU 5,288 5,052 4,940 4,942 4,941 4,924 
			 Total 5,597 5,345 5,251 5,267 5,257 5,211 
			 Note: The counts for exporters dealing with the EU and counts for exporters dealing with the non-EU do not sum to the total exporter counts. Exporters that are active in both EU and non-EU markets are counted once only in the total exporter counts. The counts for exporters dealing with the EU do not include exporters where the value of their intra-EU trade is below the Intrastat Exemption Threshold. Source: HMRC Regional Trade Statistics

Foreign Investment in UK: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much foreign investment in Yorkshire and the Humber there has been in each year since 2008; and what estimate he has made of the number of (a) new and (b) safeguarded jobs generated by such investments.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment reports that in 2008-09, 1,869 new jobs were created in Yorkshire and Humberside as a result of foreign investment and 4,719 jobs were safeguarded. In 2009-10, 2,016 new jobs were created and 3,895 were safeguarded. In 2010-11, 868 jobs were created and a total of 670 jobs safeguarded. In 2011-12, 1,362 new jobs were created and 2,338 jobs safeguarded.
	Finally, in 2012-13, the last published figures show that 1,288 new jobs were created in Yorkshire and Humber and total of 6,618 jobs were safeguarded, a total of 7,906 jobs.

Higher Education

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many undergraduate students were resident in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The number of undergraduate enrolments to UK HEIs, for students domiciled in Bury St Edmunds parliamentary constituency, Suffolk local authority and England and Wales prior to their course, has been provided in the following table.
	Information for the 2013/14 academic year will become available from HESA in January 2015.
	
		
			 Undergraduate enrolments domiciled in Bury St Edmunds parliamentary constituency1, Suffolk local authority and England and Wales, prior to their course—UK Higher Education Institutions2 Academic years 2008/09 to 2012/13 
			  2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 
			 Bury St Edmunds parliamentary constituency 2,890 3,045 3,125 3,210 2,860 
			 Suffolk local authority 17,020 17,885 17,645 17,975 16,340 
			 England and Wales 1,463,160 1,501,560 1,490,205 1,501,070 1,379,775 
			 1 Parliamentary constituency is derived from the student's postcode. Data for 2010-11 onwards are based on the revised boundaries since the 2010 general election. 2 Includes students attending Open University. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Higher Education: Disability

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding is currently allocated to higher education institutions to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities to disabled students under the Equality Act 2010.

David Willetts: In the academic year 2013-14 £15 million was allocated to higher education institutions through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grant, to help them recruit and support disabled students. This figure was an increase of £2 million on the previous year and has been maintained by HEFCE for 2014-15. This is in addition to the direct support provided to disabled students through the disabled students’ allowances (DSA). In England, £125.1 million was spent on providing DSA in 2011-12.

Higher Education: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much capital funding the Government allocated to (a) York College, (b) Askham Bryan College, (c) the University of York and (d) York St John University in each year since 1995-96.

David Willetts: The capital funding allocated by this Department and its predecessor Departments to York College, the University of York and the University of York St John in each year between 1992 and 2000 is not readily available. However, the capital allocations for each of the institutions named since 2000-01 is in the following table.
	
		
			 Capital allocations for each of the institutions named since 2000-01 
			  Askham Bryan College HEFCE Funding Askham Bryan College Skills Funding Agency Funding1 University of York HEFCE Funding York College HEFCE Funding York College Skills Funding Agency Funding1 York St John University HEFCE Funding 
			 2000-01 15,229 0 — 38,266 0 — 
			 2001-02 7,900 0 3,530,750 10,910 0 — 
			 2002-03 17,300 148,900 3,778,951 42,090 0 1,853,705 
			 2003-04 19,196 293,975 9,960,671 47,314 0 480,369 
			 2004-05 6,456 0 9,598,750 15,927 0 1,695,801 
			 2005-06 84,075 0 8,901,524 103,283 21,159,347 95,667 
			 2006-07 67,799 4,150,000 3,257,349 75,029 0 900,000 
			 2007-08 67,798 0 16,182,678 75,030 0 939,152 
			 2008-09 89,715 0 13,211,996 77,650 0 1,308,627 
			 2009-10 114,961 0 26,823,315 113,645 0 1,251,150 
			 2010-11 65,205 284,389 1,746,914 73,524 128,950 939,136 
			 2011-12 17,599 100,000 3,879,252 20,617 100,000 169,911 
			 2012-13 19,358 3,110,000 3,242,950 22,678 0 91,117 
			 2013-14 10,712 500,000 2,469,586 13,148 2,091,000 232,966 
			 2014-152 38,705 0 2,165,461 47,510 0 280,291 
			  642,008 8,587,264 108,750,147 776,621 23,479,297 10,237,892 
			 1 The table includes information on all mainstream FE Capital grants approved since April 2001 to date; LSC approvals (i.e. Building Colleges for the Future projects only and excludes Disability Discrimination Act grant/fee support/other pro-rata or formula based grants approved under the LSC between April 01 to March 10). It also includes all capital approvals given under the SFA. 2 These figures are not final.

Higher Education: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK-domiciled (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate students enrolled at the (i) University of York and (ii) University of York St John in each year since 2009-10.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
	The number of UK domiciled undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments at University of York and York St John University in the academic years 2009/10 to 2012-13 has been provided in the following table.
	Information on the number of enrolments at UK HEIs for the academic year 2013-14 will become available from HESA in January 2015.
	
		
			 UK domiciled1 enrolments2 by level and institution of study academic years 2009-10 to 2012-13 
			 Institution Level of study 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 University of York Postgraduate 2,405 2,610 2,680 2,135 
			  Undergraduate 9,645 10,190 10,475 10,395 
			  Total 12,050 12,800 13,155 12,525 
			 York St John University Postgraduate 815 780 735 715 
			  Undergraduate 4,835 4,855 4,920 4,960 
			  Total 5,650 5,640 5,660 5,680 
			 1 Domicile refers to a students’ home or permanent address prior to starting their course 2 Enrolments refers to students in all years of study. Note: This information can also be found on the HESA website at the following link: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/free-statistics Source: HESA Student Record

Higher Education: Zoos

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support the Government are providing for community projects being conducted by UK zoos in collaboration with universities.

David Willetts: Government funding to universities supports a range of collaborative activity. Information on specific work with zoos on community projects is not collected centrally.

Higher Education: Zoos

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the forthcoming single pot funding and new round of European Regional Development Funding encourages economic development potential through science discovery collaborations planned between research-intensive universities and zoos.

Michael Fallon: The Local Growth Fund will be awarded to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) on a competitive basis, on the strength of the Strategic Economic Plans they submitted to Government at the end of March. It is for LEPs and other local partners to put forward the proposals that, based on their local knowledge, they consider will have the greatest impact on economic growth. Discussions between Government and LEPs are continuing, with the aim of announcing Growth Deals in the summer.
	For the 2014-2020 EU funding period the Government have asked Local Enterprise Partnerships to work with local partners to determine the investment priorities in their areas. Support to strengthen research, technological development and innovation will be a key objective for the European Regional Development Fund. The next stage is for local partners to work together to help develop a pipeline of projects that will meet the local investment priorities. BIS will advise the national stakeholder group which oversees the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund on whether these investments are meeting local, national and EU innovation objectives.

Holiday Leave

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 87W, on holiday leave, what assessment his Department has made of the conclusions of the Citizens Advice report entitled Give us a Break on the lack of awareness and denial of paid holiday entitlement to UK workers.

Jennifer Willott: The Citizens Advice report, Give us a Break, was a formal submission to the Ministerial Review of Workplace Rights, Compliance and Enforcement and therefore this Department assessed the report along with other submissions to the review. The written ministerial statement following the review was laid in Parliament on 10 July 2012. We continually review a broad range of evidence. As outlined in reply of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 87W, the right to paid annual leave is an important right, and we would urge workers who feel they are not receiving it to contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800 917 2368) or ACAS
	www.acas.org.uk
	for free and confidential advice.

Land Registry

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of the Land Registry; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has conducted a consultation on ‘Introduction of a new Land Registry service delivery company’, and a response will be published shortly.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber received how much funding from Local Enterprise Partnerships in each year since 2010-11.

Michael Fallon: The Regional Growth Fund has supported eight Local Enterprise Partnership-led (LEP) programmes in Yorkshire and Humber, four each in rounds 3 and 5, with allocations totalling £95 million. So far £23.8 million has been paid to small and medium-sized enterprises which has achieved 987 jobs and £66.9 million in private sector leverage.
	The Yorkshire and Humber LEPs have also received a total of £72.9 million from the Growing Places Fund to support infrastructure projects resulting in the creation of jobs, housing, commercial floorspace and businesses. Thus far, the LEPs have allocated this to 34 projects which will lead to the creation of 25,500 jobs, 4,900 housing units, 1.5 million sqm commercial floorspace, and 320 businesses.

Manufacturing Industries: Electronic Equipment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the manufacture of electronic components in the UK.

Michael Fallon: The Government recognise that electronic components and systems are key enabling technologies which underpin many key industrial sectors both in the UK and worldwide. In line with the Industrial Strategy, the Government are working with the industry-led Electronics Systems Community (ESCO) Council to support its aims of achieving sustainable growth within the sector. This Council are co-chaired by myself and Warren East, formerly chief executive of ARM, and is made up of senior business leaders from within the electronics systems sector.
	The ESCO Council is working within the UK electronics community, with Government, with academia and is building close ties with leadership groups from other industries in taking forward the industry's blueprint for transforming the electronic systems sector in the UK. The Council's aims and priorities are set out in the ‘Electronic Systems: Challenges and Opportunities' report, which the industry published in summer 2013. The ESCO Council has set itself the goals for 2020 of increasing employment in the electronics systems sector from 850,000 to 1,000,000, and the contribution that electronics makes to the economy from around £80 billion to £120 billion per year.

National Apprenticeship Service

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 140W, on the national apprenticeship service, how many times the search function ‘find an apprenticeship provider' on the national apprenticeship website has been used.

Matthew Hancock: There were 89,370 recorded visits to the Find an Apprenticeship Training Organisation1 web page between April 2013 and May 2014. This counts the number of visits to the page not the number of individuals who visit.
	Please note that the figure provided is used to indicate the use of a specific web page and is not a recognised measure of interest in apprenticeships.
	1 http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/employers/find-an-apprenticeship-training-organisation.aspx

New Businesses: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many business start-ups there were in City of York local authority area in each year since 2008.

Matthew Hancock: There is no single data source that comprehensively measures all business start-ups within the UK. However, as a near proxy BankSearch collates data on the number of new business bank accounts opened in Great Britain. This can be used as an indicative measure of business start-up activity and is the most comprehensive source available to BIS.
	In the following table, estimated numbers of new business start-ups in the York local authority area are shown using the BankSearch data.
	
		
			  Estimated number of business start-ups in York authority area 
			 2008 1,100 
			 2009 1,100 
			 2010 1,300 
			 2011 1,400 
			 2012 1,300 
			 2013 1,100 
			 Source: BankSearch, number of new business bank accounts opened

Overseas Trade: Western Sahara

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will instruct UK Trade and Investment to issue a statement cautioning UK businesses against trade and investment in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

Michael Fallon: We do not advise against trading with or investing in Western Sahara. Companies seeking UK Trade and Investment's advice on business prospects in Western Sahara will be made aware of the travel advice, information on Overseas Business Risk, and other market conditions.

Regional Development Agencies: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber received how much funding from the Yorkshire Regional Development Agency in each year that body was in existence.

Michael Fallon: Yorkshire Forward's annual accounts
	www.gov.uk
	report on this activity, showing the number of businesses assisted overall and the annual expenditure on the programmes they delivered as a whole. Providing any further information, at the level of detail requested, would require extensive research into Yorkshire Forward's records which are now held in BIS archive. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Regional Growth Fund: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber received how much funding from the Regional Growth Fund in each year since 2011-12.

Michael Fallon: We do not hold the data in the format requested. The Regional Growth Fund is supporting 51 projects and programmes in Yorkshire and Humber across five funding rounds. Below is a breakdown of the allocated funding from 2011-2017 by round:
	
		
			 Round Projects Programmes Allocated funding (£ million) 
			 1 6 0 47.3 
			 2 15 2 78.5 
			 3 8 4 92.8 
			 4 8 4 41.5 
			 5 3 1 15 
		
	
	The 11 regional programmes are providing support to small and medium-size businesses in the area. Support from RGF is expected to leverage £1.7 billion of private investment.

Temporary Employment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to improve job security for people employed indefinitely on temporary or fixed-term contracts.

Jennifer Willott: The Government are committed to achieving a labour market that is both fair and flexible, which gives employers the confidence to create jobs and individuals the choice to find work that suits them and their circumstances.
	Temporary, agency and fixed term contracts are an important but relatively small part of our labour market, as they give companies flexibility in how staff are hired and workers flexibility in how they work. In February to April 2014 there were 1.673 million temporary employees—6.5% of all employees. Of these, ONS estimate that 35.9% were working temporarily because they could not find a permanent job—down from 39.7% a year ago.
	Under this Government employment growth continues to be exceptionally strong, with levels up by 345,000 in the past quarter, and 780,000 in the past year—a record. Overall, in the 12 months to April 2014:
	Employment increased by 780,000.
	The number of employees working full-time increased by 441,000 and the number of people working part-time increased by 17,000.
	The amount of people in self-employment rose by 337,000
	The amount of temporary employees was 1.67 million in the three months to April 2014, up 79,000 on the same period last year. The amount of employees working temporary jobs because they could not find permanent jobs fell by 33,000 over the past year.

Vocational Training

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide a breakdown of the Employer Ownership Pilot funding for the unified communications sector.

Matthew Hancock: Funding has been awarded to one project focusing on the unified communications sector. A project led by Freedom Communications was awarded funding of £786,503 over four years. This project seeks to address a skills need within the Unified Communications Technology (UCT) sector—a business enabling technology that benefits the economy through improved productivity. Freedom Communications (a UCT employer) has developed the project to address skills gaps through the creation of a UCT Higher Apprentice programme to develop a skilled work-force, delivering end-to-end skills by working with schools, delivering pre-employability qualifications to enhance the skills of the future work force.